Buddy Clark: Merry Christmas Waltz

Snow is blowing through town today, drifting and swirling around the windows and moaning in the trees. Makes me think of the Merry Christmas Waltz. Buddy Clark, made his big band debut in 1934 with Benny Goodman's Let's Dance radio program then performed on Your Hit Parade until 1938. He had a top-20 hit with the song Spring is Here in the mid-30's but didn't have another until the late 40's.

In 1946 Buddy had his biggest hit with the song Linda. By chance the Linda of the song was the (then) six year old daughter of Clark's business partner Lee Eastman. That girl would later grow up to become a musician, spokeswoman for vegetarianism, and wife of Paul McCartney.

Clark's career hit its stride in 1947 when he produced  the hits How Are Things in Glocca Morra?, Peg O' My Heart, An Apple Blossom Wedding, and I'll Dance at Your Wedding. In '48 he had a major hit duet with Doris Day entitled Love Somebody as well as nine other songs that hit the charts including solo pieces and duets with both Day and Dinah Shore.

On October 1, 1949, as the 37 year old Clark's career continued to soar, he perished in a small plane crash while returning to Los Angeles from a Stanford vs. Michigan college football game. A month after Clark's death, his recording of A Dreamer's Holiday hit the charts.