MUSICIAN

Kenny Clarke

1914 - 1985

Photo of Kenny Clarke

Icon of person Kenny Clarke

Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914 – January 26, 1985), known professionally as Kenny Clarke and nicknamed Klook, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A major innovator of the bebop style of drumming, he pioneered the use of the ride cymbal to keep time rather than the hi-hat, along with the use of the bass drum for irregular accents ("dropping bombs"). Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was orphaned at the age of about five and began playing the drums when he was eight or nine on the urging of a teacher at his orphanage. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Kenny Clarke has received more than 373,025 page views. His biography is available in 29 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 28 in 2019). Kenny Clarke is the 713th most popular musician (down from 614th in 2019), the 3,632nd most popular biography from United States (down from 3,204th in 2019) and the 220th most popular American Musician.

Memorability Metrics

  • 370k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 53.33

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 29

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 4.55

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.29

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among MUSICIANS

Among musicians, Kenny Clarke ranks 713 out of 3,175. Before him are Alexis Weissenberg, Lev Oborin, Clara Rockmore, Agathe Backer Grøndahl, Conrad Graf, and The Big Bopper. After him are Peter Hammill, Liam Gallagher, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Max Roach, Max Cavalera, and Enrico Toselli.

Most Popular Musicians in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1914, Kenny Clarke ranks 148. Before him are Yuri Levitan, Anatole Abragam, Henri Langlois, Joe Shuster, Tito Okello, and Albert Soboul. After him are Muazzez İlmiye Çığ, Sándor Képíró, Budd Schulberg, Baba Amte, Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin, and Jersey Joe Walcott. Among people deceased in 1985, Kenny Clarke ranks 101. Before him are Élias Sarkis, Sergei Yutkevich, Edmond O'Brien, Víctor Rodríguez Andrade, Victor Capesius, and Johanna Wolf. After him are Márton Bukovi, Taizo Kawamoto, Attilio Bettega, Manfred Winkelhock, Georgia Hale, and Mahmoud Mohammed Taha.

Others Born in 1914

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Others Deceased in 1985

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Kenny Clarke ranks 3,632 out of 20,380. Before him are Chris O'Donnell (1970), The Big Bopper (1930), Dee Wallace (1948), Gabriel Almond (1911), Jack Williamson (1908), and Robert Penn Warren (1905). After him are Christina Grimmie (1994), Jane Lynch (1960), Lucia Berlin (1936), Charles Doolittle Walcott (1850), Whitfield Diffie (1944), and Lawrence Block (1938).

Others born in United States

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Among MUSICIANS In United States

Among musicians born in United States, Kenny Clarke ranks 220. Before him are Louis Prima (1910), Jerry Garcia (1942), Jeff Buckley (1966), Eric Dolphy (1928), Elmore James (1918), and The Big Bopper (1930). After him are Screamin' Jay Hawkins (1929), Max Roach (1924), Herb Alpert (1935), Willie Dixon (1915), Horace Silver (1928), and Ron McGovney (1962).

American born Musicians

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