Born in 1937, Clarence "Frogman" Henry grew up in the 7th Ward before moving to Algiers. He played trombone in the L.B. Landry High School Band and also started taking piano lessons as a teenager. Early in his career, he played with Bobby Mitchell's band, The Toppers, and his famous voice of a croaking "lonely frog" propelled him to fame with the 1956 hit single 'Ain't Got No Home' recorded at Cosimo Matassa's studio. His chameleon-like vocal abilities lent themselves well to the song which he could be heard performing for many decades after its release. In 1957, the song was released by Argo Records, a subsidiary of Chess, reaching #3 on the national Billboard R&B chart and #20 on the Billboard pop chart. Frogman went on to release a cover of Bobby Charles' '(I Don't Know Why) But I Do' and 'You Only Hurt The Ones You Love' in 1961.
Henry's unique voice captured the attention of four popular young British musicians in the early 1960s. In 1964, The Beatles brought Frogman on to open for them during their U.S. tour, including a hometown date on September 16 at City Park Stadium (now known as Tad Gormley Stadium) in New Orleans City Park. He performed at Jazz Fest nearly every year since its inception, including the very first year in 1970. His final appearance there was at the Blues Tent in 2023, where he rose from his wheelchair to perform his biggest hit and received an excited standing ovation from the audience in response. He was scheduled to appear at the 2024 festival, as well as part of the "New Orleans Classic Recording Revue" along with The Dixie Cups, Al "Carnival Time" Johnson, and Wanda Rouzan, but the New Orleans R&B legend passed away in early April of 2024, at the age of 87.
Henry was a big part of the vibrant and influential New Orleans R&B music scene of the 1950s and 1960s. Following his tours of the United States and Europe in support of his early hits, he settled into gigging on Bourbon Street for nearly twenty years. Throughout his career, Henry shared the stage with some of the greatest artists of the 20th century, including Professor Longhair, Dr. John, Tina Turner, James Brown, and Little Richard. He drew impressive audiences for decades and was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2007. WWOZ named him a “Living Legend” in 2003.
