Clanton formed his first band in 1956 while attending Baton Rouge High School.
One of the few white singers to come out of the New Orleans R&B/rock & roll sound, he rode the crest of the popular teen music wave in the 1950s and '60s with such songs as "Just a Dream," "Go Jimmy Go" and "Venus in Blue Jeans." He even continued to release hits after he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1961 and served for two years..
Clanton starred in a rock and roll movie produced by Alan Freed called Go Johnny Go, and later starred in Teenage Millionaire.
