Clarinettist and alto saxophonist Mahlon Clark performed with the bands of
Lawrence Welk,
Ray McKinley and
Will Bradley during the big band
era. He had a background in vaudeville before becoming a musician at the
age of sixteen. Based on Santa Catalina island during World War II,
he entertaining troops on furlough as part of a merchant marine band. In 1945, Clark married McKinley vocalist
Imogene Lynn. After the war, he performed on a
number of motion picture soundtracks while under contract to Paramount
as a member of the resident studio orchestra.
Clark was most famous for playing the clarinet solo of
'Baby Elephant Walk' (composed by
Henry Mancini
featured in the
John Wayne movie
Hatari! (1962). In the
1960s he became a busy session musician accompanying stars such as
Ella Fitzgerald,
Madonna and
Linda Ronstadt. A close friend of
arranger/bandleader
Nelson Riddle, he can
also be heard on many recordings by
Frank Sinatra made for the Capitol label. Clark's second wife was singer
Kathy Lennon of Lennon Sisters fame.