Cliffie Stone

Born Clifford Gilpin Snyder on March 1, 1917, in Burbank, California, Cliffie Stone grew up as the son of banjo picker and comedy performer Herman the Hermit. He later earned recognition for his persistent efforts to elevate the state's country and western sound in the years following World War II. Early on he played upright bass alongside Freddie Slack, Anson Weeks, and assorted ensembles throughout Hollywood and Pasadena, yet his reputation truly took hold through regular appearances on the Los Angeles stations KFUD and KFWB. Programs including Covered Wagon Jubilee and Lucky Stars gave him room to demonstrate his range as a disc jockey, comedian, musician, and emcee; between 1943 and 1947 he juggled twenty-eight separate radio broadcasts each week. A regular spot on the Hollywood Barn Dance further cemented his standing within the country field.

In 1946 he joined Capitol Records just as the label prepared to champion what would become known as the Bakersfield sound. Serving two decades as an A&R executive, Stone signed and guided the careers of Tennessee Ernie Ford—whom he managed personally from 1947 to 1957—Molly Bee, Hank Thompson, and numerous other artists drawn to Los Angeles for recording opportunities. Despite these achievements he remained most closely identified with his radio ventures, particularly the daily variety program Dinner Bell Roundup on Pasadena's KXLA, which regularly welcomed country and western performers into listeners' living rooms. The show relocated to El Monte in 1944 and adopted the new title Hometown Jamboree.

Over the course of his career Stone cut six albums under his own name and shared songwriting credit on the hits “Divorce Me C.O.D.,” “So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed,” and the 1947 release “Silver Stars, Purple Sage, Eyes of Blue.” He fronted several ensembles, among them Cliffie Stone & His Orchestra, Cliffie Stone & His Barn Dance Band, and Cliffie Stone's Country Hombres. During the 1960s his publishing firm Central Songs prospered, and he briefly operated his own imprint, Granite. The father of Highway 101 cofounder Curtis Stone, he also authored the 1991 guide Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Songwriting but Didn't Know Who to Ask. He suffered a fatal heart attack on January 17, 1998.