On this episode of Voices In My Head we welcome Dr. Francois Clemmons.
Dr. François Scarborough Clemmons is an Afro-American singer, actor, playwright and university lecturer. He is perhaps best known for his appearances as Officer Clemmons on the PBS television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood from 1968 to 1993.
In 1968, Clemmons won the Metropolitan Opera auditions in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He went on to Cleveland, Ohio, where he won a position in the Metropolitan Opera Studio. He sang there professionally for seven seasons, performing over 70 roles with companies including The New York City Opera, Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, and Washington Civic Opera.
Clemmons sang with numerous orchestras, including the Cleveland Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 1973, he won a Grammy Award for a recording of Porgy and Bess; he performed the role of "Sportin' Life" in that musical over 100 times.
For 25 years, Clemmons performed the role of Officer Clemmons, a friendly neighborhood policeman, in the "Neighborhood of Make-Believe" on the children's television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. In the neighborhood itself, Clemmons ran a singing and dance studio located in the building diagonally across from Mr. Rogers' house. As "Officer Clemmons", he became one of the first African Americans to have a recurring role on a kids' TV series.
Clemmons actively writes across genres for a variety of age groups. Currently, he is writing his autobiography entitled DivaMan: My Life in Song, a children's story entitled ButterCup and the Majic Cane, and a volume of poetry entitled A Place Of My Own. Some of his published works include a volume of spirituals named Songs for Today and a stage musical called My Name Is Hayes based on the life of Roland Hayes. He also commissioned a choral work composed of spirituals entitled Changed My Name, arranged by Linda Twine.
From 1997 until his retirement in 2013, Clemmons was the Alexander Twilight Artist in Residence and director of the Martin Luther King Spiritual Choir at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. He “played the role of professor, choirmaster, resident vocal soloist, advisor, confidant, and community cheerleader”. He is also well known in the Middlebury community for his superb rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner", which he sings at the Middlebury College men's basketball games.
Clemmons lives and works in Middlebury, Vermont, where he is the Emeritus Artist in Residence of Middlebury College. He is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the national fraternity for men in music.
Blessings,
Rick Lee James
www.RickLeeJames.com
Episode 466: Julian Zelizer - The Presidency of Donald J. Trump: A First Historical Assessment
Episode 465: George Ross - President of CCLI
Episode 464 - Oletha Barnett - Diversity of a Different Kind
Bonus Episode: Solving Guns - Polilogue Special
Episode 463 Unraveling The Lie-Knot with Sheryl Giesbrecht Turner
The CCLI Conversation with The Evangelicals - Episode 462
Episode 461 - Musical Guest: Avila - She’s Too Good
Episode 460 - Spencer LaJoye - Plowshare Prayer
Episode 459: Christy Staats - Ukrainian Refugees and Beyond
Episode 458: Fred Heumann on the Christians in Ukraine
Episode 457 - Ukraine Russia Conflict with Brandon Sipes and Jeremy Hudson
Episode 456 - Micah McElveen - Voices In My Head (The Rick Lee James Podcast)
Episode 455 - Getting Weird
Episode 454 - Voices In My Head (The Rick Lee James Podcast)
Spend Groundhog Day with Guest Stephen Tobolowsky - Episode 453 Voices In My Head (The Rick Lee James Podcast)
Episode 452 - Ian Zumback - Hey Jerry
Epiphany 2022 - Episode 451 Voices In My Head (The Rick Lee James Podcast)
Episode 450 - Voices In My Head (The Rick Lee James Podcast)
Episode 449: The Surprising Truth - When Christians Once Banned Christmas
Voices In My Head (The Rick Lee James Podcast) Episode 448: A Small If - Elijah Stacy
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