Johnny Lee Clary

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Johnny Lee Clary
Born	June 18, 1959 (1959-06-18) (age 48) Martinez, California, U.S.
Occupation	Preacher, former professional wrestler

Johnny Lee Clary (born June 18, 1959) is a former Ku Klux Klan leader who became a born again Christian and now travels around the globe preaching the gospel and teaching against racism and hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, Neo Nazis, and Aryan Nations. Clary is known also as the wrestler Johnny Angel who had success in the 1980s in the National Wrestling Federation (NWF).

1 Family, childhood and youth
2 Wrestling career
3 Racism and conversion to an anti-racism preacher
4 References
5 See also
6 Resources
7 External links

[edit] Family, childhood and youth

Johnny Lee Clary was born on June 18, 1959 in Martinez, California. According to Clary, he was brought up in a racist household, where his father encouraged racist language and treatment of blacks,^[1] and saw to it that Clary attended an all white church.^[2] Although Clary's father, a Catholic, was not a Klansman (the KKK being a Protestant group), Clary states that his uncle, Harold, was a member and that Harold boasted to Clary's father of shooting an African-American man.^[2]

According to interviews Clary has given, his youth was marred by a tragic family life and also by a lack of stability. At the age of 11 he watched his father kill himself and was subsequently shunted from one family member to another. Eventually he found himself alone in East L.A. where he became involved in gangs, and joined the Ku Klux Klan by the time he was 14.^[2]

[edit] Wrestling career

Johnny became a professional wrestler in 1983. He was trained (along with his brother Terry Clary) by former NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion, Danny Hodge. Terry began his career under the name Sugar Boy, with Johnny as his manager under the name Der Kommisar after a 1980s new wave song of that name. Terry is most notable for almost holding the NWA World Jr. Heavyweight Title for a very brief period. The storyline had Terry defeat then-champion Danny Hodge after Johnny (portraying a heel managerial character) reached under the ropes during the match and tripped Hodge with a cane, and then had the decision reversed due to Johnny's "interference."

Terry continued to wrestle, changing his name to Buddy "Bad Man" Savage. Johnny left wrestling management and began wrestling by himself, using the name Johnny Angel. He was given the NWA Arkansas Heavyweight Title in 1986 and appeared on shows for Kansas City All Star Wrestling with the National Wrestling Association. Later he joined the National Wrestling Federation and competed against some notable wrestlers such as D.C. "Mad Dog" Drake, Wendi Richter, and Sgt. Slaughter.

Johnny held the Arkansas Heavyweight title successfully several times between 1986 and 1988, even winning matches against his brother Terry (under the Buddy Savage moniker). Johnny retired from wrestling on July 30, 1988 in Grove, Oklahoma after winning a 10-Man Battle Royal. At the time of his retirement, he was still the Arkansas Heavyweight Champion. In 2002 he made a one-time return to professional wrestling, competing against "Nature Boy" Buddy Landel at a show in North Carolina in 2002.

[edit] Racism and conversion to an anti-racism preacher

While wrestling, Clary continued his involvement in the KKK. According to his interviews with several media outlets, Clary became the Grand Dragon of the Oklahoma arm of the White Knights Of The Ku Klux Klan. Clary claims to have become increasingly disillusioned with the KKK even as he rose through its ranks. He mentions a first brush with evangelical Christianity in the mid-to-late 1980s but, he claims, was scared into returning to the KKK and went on to become the Imperial Wizard of the whole White Knights organization in 1989.^[3] During his leadership the White Knights did not garner much media attention for their activities, but Clary was an active spokesperson for the Klan, defending racism and violence against non-whites. In this role he appeared on syndicated talk shows including those hosted by Oprah Winfrey and Morton Downey, Jr.^[4]

In interviews Clary asserts that he left the KKK for good in 1990 and joined an evangelical church. This time he stayed with the church and in 1991 began preaching. He teamed up with Wade Watts, a preacher and former leader of the Oklahoma chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), with whom he had previously sparred during his time in the KKK.^[5]

The story of Clary's conversion from a Klansman to an anti-racism preacher has drawn the attention of numerous Christian media outlets and several national Australian talk shows. Clary has also appeared on national US talk shows such as "Donahue", and "Geraldo", discussing racial issues in the USA.^[6]