Columnist Jerry Fink: Coasters’ Early Clover no latecomer to music

Friday, Sept. 19, 2003 | 9:25 a.m.

Jerry Fink's lounge column appears on Fridays. Reach him at jerry@lasvegassun.com at (702) 259-4058.

Early Clover says he earned his unusual name.

"I was born a month early, in February instead of March, at 8:40 a.m.," said Clover, the lead vocalist of Cornell Gunter's Coasters at the Sahara.

Early is his real name. So is Clover, perhaps fitting for someone born on a farm.

But from his youth, the passion of the Laurens County, Ga., native has been music, not crops.

When Clover isn't fronting the Coasters in the Sahara's Conga Room (where the group shares billing nightly at 8 p.m. with The Platters and Beary Hobbs' Drifters), he has his own act.

For the past six weeks on Saturday nights, from 11 p.m. until 3 a.m., he has performed at Cafe Nicolle on West Sahara Avenue and Decatur Boulevard, where he sings and hosts a jam session.

He is joined by vocalist Bobby Jones and a four-piece band.

On Sept. 27 the show will be part of a CD release party, beginning at 10 p.m., to celebrate his most recent album, "Love Man" (available at Odyssey Records, Sound Warehouse and other locations).

Clover released his first CD, "You're Gonna Need a Backup," in 2002.

He's already working on a third album, one that is being geared toward the blues. He says his fourth will be one of gospel music.

Clover's show at the Sahara includes top hits by The Coasters from the '50s and '60s ("Yakety Yak" and "Charlie Brown," among others).

His performances apart from the show often include tributes to such legends as Gaye, Otis Redding and Sam Cooke.

Clover is an R&B and blues man whose interest in music was sparked by listening to the radio as a child.

"Being born, we had very limited resources," Clover said. "We had one small radio the family enjoyed, and I hogged it.

"I would sit in front of it and listen to the songs when I was 7 years old, learning them word for word."

Then he would sing the words he learned from the music of Little Richard, James Brown, B.B. King and others.

"I developed a hunger for it," Clover said.

An older brother, Willie, taught him to play a song ("Honky Tonk") on a guitar.

"He and dad loved playing the blues," Clover recalled.

From the one song he became a skilled guitarist.

"I developed a style of playing, and music grew into a more positive and stronger hunger that led me to put together my own band when I was 14," Clover said.

When he was 16 he formed another band, "Early Clover and The Bossa Novas," and his father hired a chaperone to take him to gigs.

Eventually he changed the band's name to "Middle Georgia Soul Drifters," which became the opening act for some of the hottest names in the south, such as Betty Wright, Clarence Carter, Tyrone Davis and Marvin Sease.

The Middle Georgia Soul Drifters became the road band and back-up for such performers as William Bell, Rufus Thomas and Joe Simon.

In 1988, after his band broke up, Clover went to New York, where he performed at the Apollo Theater, winning first place twice for the Marvin Gaye hit "What's Going On?"

He also won second place three times, and third place in the "Top Dog of the Year" competition, and tied for third place in the "Super Dog of The Year" competition.

That year, Clover also auditioned for Cornell Gunter's Coasters. He's been with the group ever since.

You can pay to see this inspiring performer at the Sahara, or you can see him for free at Cafe Nicolle.

Either way, be sure to get there early.

Lounging around

You could spend a week barhopping inside New York-New York. The Bar at Times Square has the Dueling Pianos at 8 p.m. nightly; Big Apple Bar has the revue "Soul Desire" at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday through Monday; at Nine Fine Irishmen, besides fine food and drink there's Irish storytelling, song and dance; and, of course, at Coyote Ugly (based on the New York City bar and film of the same name) there is dancing on the bar.

All-around entertainer Van de Guzman loves his gig at the Castaways Outer Bar, and fans love this lead (and only) vocalist for the one-man band. He performs 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

The Royal Street Theater at Jerry's Nugget has a lineup of entertainment that includes the Huck Daniels Revue from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursdays; the Real Deal Soul Revue from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays; and Claudine Castro at 10:30 p.m. Saturdays.

Jim & Noreen perform nightly (dark Mondays) at The Cannery's Pinups Lounge. Showtimes are 8 p.m. to midnight Tuesdays through Thursdays and Sunday; 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Shooting Stars Karaoke is held in the lounge at Boulder Station 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. Thursdays; 6 p.m. until 2 a.m. Fridays; and 8 p.m. until 2 a.m. Saturdays.