Jerry Clower
| Jerry Clower | |
|---|---|
Clower at the Grand Ole Opry in 1974
|
|
| Birth name | Howard Gerald Clower |
| Born |
September 28, 1926 Liberty, Mississippi |
| Died | August 24, 1998 (aged 71) Jackson, Mississippi |
| Medium |
Stand-up television recordings |
| Nationality | USA |
| Genres | Stand-up |
| Subject(s) | Rural humor, observational humor, character study |
| Spouse | Homerline Wells (1947–1998; his death) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1944-1946 |
| Rank | Radioman Third Class (RMN3) |
| Awards |
American Campaign Medal Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal Bronze Service Star (x2) World War II Victory Medal |
Howard Gerald "Jerry" Clower (September 28, 1926 – August 24, 1998) was a popular country comedian best known for his stories of the rural South and nicknamed "The Mouth of Mississippi".
Clower was born in Liberty, Mississippi, and began a two-year stint in the Navy immediately after graduating from high school in 1944. Upon his discharge, in 1946, he was a Radioman Third Class (RMN3) and had earned the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (with two bronze service stars), and the World War II Victory Medal.
He studied agriculture at Mississippi State University, where he played college football and was a member of Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity. After finishing school in 1951, Clower worked as a county agent and later as a seed salesman. He became a fertilizer salesman for Mississippi Chemical in 1954.
By 1954, Clower had developed a reputation for telling funny stories to boost his sales. Tapes of Clower's speaking engagements wound up in the hands of Edwin "Big Ed" Wilkes and Bud Andrews in Lubbock, Texas, who had him make a better-quality recording which they promoted. MCA Records later awarded "The Coon Hunt" a platinum record for sales in excess of $1 million at the retail level.
At first, Clower took orders at his speaking engagements, selling 8000 copies on the Lemon record label. In time, Wilkes sent a copy to Grant Turner at WSM radio in Nashville, and when Turner played it on the air, Clower said "that thing busted loose". MCA was soon knocking on Clower's door, offering him a contract. Once MCA began distribution in 1971, Jerry Clower from Yazoo City, Mississippi Talkin’ retailed more than a million dollars over 10 months and stayed in the top 20 on the country charts for 30 weeks.
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