Mike Clifford

Mike Clifford, born November 5, 1943, in Los Angeles, California, is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. The son of professional trumpet player Cal Clifford, he began performing at school and community events before moving on to Los Angeles nightclubs as a teenager. His Broadway credits include Grease, in which he appeared in 1973.

Clifford entered the recording industry in 1959 when he signed with Liberty Records, cutting his debut single, "Should I," written and produced by Mark McIntyre. The track featured guitarist Eddie Cochran and backing vocals by the duo Patience and Prudence. He subsequently signed with Columbia Records under the management of Helen Noga, who also represented Johnny Mathis. His Columbia releases drew limited commercial response domestically, though the single "Bombay" found an audience in Venezuela. In July 1962, Clifford moved to United Artists Records, where he worked with producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The resulting single "Close to Cathy," written by Earl Shuman and composed by Bob Goodman, entered the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1962, peaked at number 12, remained on the chart for twelve weeks, and sold one million copies worldwide. Two additional chart entries followed: "What to Do with Laurie," which peaked at number 67 later in 1962, and "One Boy Too Late," his final charting single, in May 1963. United Artists released his debut album, For the Love of Mike, in 1965, with the record receiving notice in the February 13, 1965, issue of Billboard. During this period Clifford performed on American Bandstand, Where the Action Is, and The Ed Sullivan Show.

Alongside his recording career, Clifford pursued acting beginning in the 1960s. He appeared in the 1965 science fiction musical Village of the Giants and, in 1963, served as a stand-in for Frankie Avalon during production of the film Beach Party, with singer Lu Ann Simms standing in for Annette Funicello. Clifford and Simms later recorded a new version of the Beach Party album in 1975, released as Summer Fun through the Columbia House mail order division. From 1972 to 1974, he performed the dual role of Johnny Casino and Teen Angel in the US national tour of Grease, and his Broadway appearance in the production followed in 1973. In 1975, he played Motel the tailor in the Broadway Sacramento production of Fiddler on the Roof opposite tenor Jan Peerce. The following year, Clifford co-starred with Line Renaud in Paris Line at the Casino de Paris, with a cast album issued in France that included several of his solo numbers. He also voiced characters in the 1978 animated film The Lord of the Rings.

Clifford contributed recordings to numerous film and television productions across several decades. These included "Joanna" for the television series Peter Gunn in 1961, "At Last" for the United Artists release The Last Time I Saw Archie in 1961, "It Had Better Be Tonight" for The Pink Panther in 1963, "Barbara's Theme" for Diary of a Bachelor in 1964, "How to Murder Your Wife" and "Here's to My Lover" for How to Murder Your Wife in 1965, "Magic Night" for Mondo Hollywood in 1967, "It's a Dream Away" for the American International Pictures film The Glass Sphinx in 1967, the theme for Those Fantastic Flying Fools in 1967, "The Golden Breed" for the film of the same name in 1968, the title song "Mary Jane" for the American International Pictures film Mary Jane in 1968, "You Say Love" for Dagmar's Hot Pants, Inc. in 1971, "The Morning After" as the theme for Necromancy in 1972, and "Love Will Keep Us Together" for Sextette in 1978. His commercial work included advertisements for Black Cow and Slo Poke candies, Ortho Mattress, and MJB coffee.

In 1964 and 1965, Clifford toured more than 100 cities as part of the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars and performed in Canada, France, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Mexico. In 1967, he began an engagement at the Ye Little Club in Beverly Hills that was later extended indefinitely, and he also appeared at the Elegante Club in Brooklyn, New York, alongside comedian Totie Fields. Later in his career, Clifford performed and recorded with vocalist Sandy Zacky, and the two released the collaborative album Love Is Everything in 2007. He recorded a version of "Mack the Knife" for Hired Gun Records in 2010. In 2017, Clifford released new recordings of "What a Wonderful World" in both dance and ballad versions, the ballad featuring pianist Ben DiTosti, and that same year produced a video performance of Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song," arranged by DiTosti and co-produced by Maurice Gainen for his label, Grover Stew Music. In 2019, marking the fiftieth anniversary of Judy Garland's death, he recorded a version of "Over the Rainbow" accompanied by a music video. He followed that with a 2021 release of "Ave Maria," sung in Latin and arranged by DiTosti.