Christof Stache/Associated Press Clarence Clemons and Bruce Springsteen performing in 2009.Here's further proof that in New Jersey the members of Bruce Springsteen's band are folk heroes akin to knights of the round table: Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey has signed a resolution declaring Jan. 11 to be Clarence Clemons Day, wire services reported. That day was Mr. Clemons's birthday.
Known as the Big Man, Mr. Clemons was an original member of Mr. Springsteen's E Street Band and perhaps its most charismatic member besides “the Boss†himself. He was a big-boned a rock ‘n' roll saxophonist with riveting stage presence and a tone that seemed to rip through the audiences.
Mr. Clemons died in 2011 from complications of a stroke. He was 69.
Though his politics are mostly to the right of Mr. Springsteen's, Governor Christie, a Republican, has attended more than 140 Springsteen concerts. The governor, at the time of Mr. Clemons's death, had ordered flags in the state to be lowered to half-staff as a sign of respect.
The Clarence Clemons Day resolution was proposed by State Senator Jennifer Beck, a Republican representing Monmouth County.
