Tony Clarke, born Ralph Thomas Williams on April 13, 1940, in New York City, was an American soul singer and songwriter. Raised in Detroit by his mother Thelma, he began his music career in the late 1950s, releasing his first single "Ten Reasons" / "Hot-Rod-Car" under the name Tall Tonio for the Stepp label. He wrote hits such as "Pushover" and "Two Sides to Every Story" with Billy Davis for Etta James. Clarke moved to Chess Records in 1964, achieving his first chart entry with "(The Story Of) Woman, Love And A Man", which reached Number 88 on the R&B chart. His breakthrough came with "The Entertainer", which hit Number 10 on the R&B chart and Number 31 on the Pop chart in 1965. He moved to Hollywood in 1966 and secured a small part in the film They Call Me Mister Tibbs! His last single before his death, "Ghetto Man" / "Love Power", was released under Chicory records in 1970. He was fatally shot in self-defence by his estranged wife in Detroit on August 28, 1971, after he allegedly broke into her house in Detroit and tried to attack her with a tyre jack. After his death, his popularity resurged in the 1970s on the United Kingdom's Northern soul scene, particularly with "The Entertainer" and "Landslide".
