Hero is a studio album by
Clarence Clemons. Known for his saxophone work with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band from 1972 until his death, Clemons released this pop album at the height of Springsteen's popularity following the success of Born in the U.S.A. It spawned two hit singles, 1985's "You're A Friend Of Mine", a duet with Jackson Browne also featuring Browne's then-girlfriend Daryl Hannah on background vocals, and 1986's "I Wanna Be Your Hero".
Born in Norfolk County (later the city of Chesapeake), Virginia. When he was nine, his father gave him an alto saxophone as a Christmas present. Clemons also showed potential as a football player and attended Maryland State College on both music and football scholarships. He tried out for the Cleveland Browns and the Dallas Cowboys. However, the day before, he was involved in a serious car accident which ended any plans of a career in the National Football League.
The story of how Clemons first met Bruce Springsteen has entered into E Street Band mythology and the event was also immortalized in "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out"...
One night we were playing in Asbury Park. I'd heard The Bruce Springsteen Band was nearby at a club called The Student Prince and on a break between sets I walked over there. On-stage, Bruce used to tell different versions of this story but I'm a Baptist, remember, so this is the truth. A rainy, windy night it was, and when I opened the door the whole thing flew off its hinges and blew away down the street. The band were on-stage, but staring at me framed in the doorway. And maybe that did make Bruce a little nervous because I just said, "I want to play with your band," and he said, "Sure, you do anything you want." The first song we did was an early version of "Spirit in the Night". Bruce and I looked at each other and didn't say anything, we just knew. We knew we were the missing links in each other's lives. He was what I'd been searching for.
As a guest musician he also featured on Aretha Franklin's classic "Freeway of Love" and with Twisted Sister as well as performing in concert with the Grateful Dead and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. As an actor Clemons featured in several films, including New York, New York and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. He also made cameo appearances in several TV series, including Diff'rent Strokes, Nash Bridges, The Simpsons and The Wire.
Clemons suffered a stroke and died of complications from it on June 18, 2011. Three years following his death, Clemons, along with the rest of the E Street Band, was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.