Dick Clark passed away from a heart attack this morning at the age of 82. As a TV host and producer, Clark is known for a number of shows such as New Year’s Rockin’ Eve and the game show The 10,000 Pyramid. But he forever will be considered one of the early great promoters of rock and roll with his show, American Bandstand. Clark originally started out as a substitute host on a local Pennsylvania show Bob Horn’s Bandstand, taking over full time in 1956 and then renaming the show American Bandstand when it moved to ABC in 1957. The show ran regularly — first every weekday and later weekly — through 1987 and then a few more years in syndication. As Clark himself described the show, “I played records, the kids danced, and America watched.”
In this interview from several years ago on Up Close with Patsy Smullin, Clark talks about his career.
I’d like to think that somewhere Clark is sitting in a crowd of teenagers holding up a record album and introducing Buddy Holly. RIP gentlemen.
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