Cliffie Stone
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Cliffie Stone (born Clifford Gilpin Snyder, March 1, 1917, Burbank, California – January 17, 1998) was a country singer, musician, record producer, and music publisher.
Stone's father was country musician Herman the Hermit. Early in his life, he played bass in the big bands of Freddie Slack and Anson Weeks in Southern California, as well as working at local radio stations KXLA, KFUD and KFWB. He appeared on the Los Angeles-based shows Covered Wagon Jubilee, Hollywood Barn Dance, Dinner Bell Roundup/Hometown Jamboree, and Lucky Stars, singing as well as performing comedy routines and acting as host and DJ in the mid-1940s.
Stone began working at Capitol Records in 1946, and became an A&R man there; among the talents he discovered were Tennessee Ernie Ford (for whom he acted as manager from 1947 to 1957), Molly Bee, and Hank Thompson. Stone's career at Capitol was successful, but he was ultimately better known for his successes at radio. He recorded six albums with a backing band which went under various names, such as Cliffie Stone & His Orchestra, Cliffie Stone & His Barn Dance Band, and Cliffie Stone's Country Hombres. His 1955 hit, "The Popcorn Song", peaked at #14 on the just-launched Billboard Magazine singles charts in 1955.
By the 1960s, Stone was doing well in music publishing with his company Central Songs, and for a short period launched a label called Granite Records. Stone's son, Curtis Stone, played in Highway 101. Cliffie Stone died as a result of a heart attack on January 17, 1998.
