Clement Leroy Moorman Memberships: SAG AEA AFTRA
Actor, Singer, Composer, Arranger, Pianist, Organist, Choir Director, Teacher, Entertainer, Recording Artist, Musical Director, Newark “Jazz Elder”, Honorary Citizen/City of Austin, Life Figure Model for Martin Luther King historic sight in Atlanta, GA.
Clem was born in Newark, NJ on 3/20/1916. He was the youngest of thirteen and one of the first African/American families in that area. He attended Charlton St Grammar School and South Side High School. He studied piano during grammar school and had to walk two miles to his sister Hazel’s house for his piano lessons. While in high school, Clem played “rent parties” with his brother Mixie, played with the Frank Gibbs Orchestra, the Al Henderson Orchestra, studied piano & organ with John Huston, and was the pianist for the 13th Ave Presbyterian Church in Newark.
Clem played in many local bands and at 22 he was part of Johnny Jackson’s Society Orchestra playing at venues such as the prestigious Terrace Ballroom. In 1939 he joined a 9 member orchestra to form “The Dictators”. Herman Lubinsky recorded them in late 1939, but did not release the songs until 1942 as the “Savoy Dictators” on the Savoy label. By this time the group ceased to exist.
In 1940 the Piccadilly Club in Newark wanted a house band. They approached Clem and he formed a trio called “ The Piccadilly Pipers”. Melba Smith was added as a vocalist to complete the band.
In the summer of 1942 Lubinsky got the Piccadilly Pipers back in the studio and recorded 14 songs under the name “Bunny Banks Trio”. This was due to the ”Petrillo Ban” which prevented union musicians from recording and resulted in “bootlegging”. Melba Smith’s name was changed to Bonnie Davis and they continued to record. In 1943 Savoy released “Don’t Stop Now” by the Bunny Banks Trio. It was #1 for 5 weeks on the Harlem Hit Parade and put Savoy Records on the map. A Clem Moorman piano solo titled ”Paratroop Boogie” was released as “Bunny Banks At The Piano” a few months later. Clem continued to record with Savoy until December 1945 and by October 1946 he was with the Tune Disk label.
The Pipers went on to record with Raven, Keystone, Apollo, Decca, Columbia, Chester, and Melmar records.until the end of the 1950’s. Clem continued through the 60’s as “Bonnie & Clem” with his wife as a national act and released an LP in 1964, “All I Want Is You” on the Tune Tone label. They parted ways in the early 70’s. He continued playing his piano music as a solo act. From the mid 70’s until present, Clem has continued to perform not only as a musician but also took acting lessons and has appeared in movies, TV, commercials, theater and magazine ads.
Feature Films: NY I Love You, Down To Earth, Bringing Out the Dead, Loose Cannons, Legal Eagles, Trading Places
Television: Chris Rock Show, America’s Most Wanted, Our Own Kind, Izzy & Moe, Johnny Carson, David Frost, Lee Leonard, and Gary Moore Show.
National Commercials/Print Ads: Budweiser, Oppenheimer, Benson & Hedges, JVC Electronics, Tyson Chicken, Jackson Hewitt, and Aricept-Pfizer.
Theater: Lady Day at Emerson’s, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Chorus of Disapproval, Blues in the Night, Mopac Rag.
Pianist In Residence: Martha’s Vineyard Ristorante, Colucci’s, The Bonfire, Bucco’s, and currently performing a Bareli’s Restaurant In Secaucus, NJ.
New CD Release: “Live At Martha’s” released on 3/20/2013 (itunes)
An incredible journey, certainly a Lifetime of Achievements, still auditioning as an actor and performing as a musician this very day. Studio B - 4/16/2013
