Clarence Clemons 'The Big Man' 1942-2011

It's been over a decade since last I saw Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band live, but it still came as a shock to learn about the death of saxophone player Clarence Clemons.

A mainstay of the E Street Band since its formation, Clarence Clemons was the first name beside the Boss himself anyone could name from the band. The huge imposing figure of 'The Big Man' was the perfect visual foil; the cover shot of 'Born To Run' featuring the two is now an iconic piece of album art.

Although I've seen Springsteen and the E Street Band (as it was always billed for live performances - at least while he toured with the E Street Band) live on several occasions, I'm not a massive expert on them.  On that stage at Wembley Stadium, the Big Man looked enormous - towering over the Boss and everyone else. Springsteen used to describe him as 'the heavyweight champion of the world' on stage during those shows, and few would have argued!  For all that, he had an engaging stage presence - always getting the biggest cheer.

When you think of Springsteen songs featuring sax solos, inevitably 'Jungleland' springs to mind straight away. A ten-minute epic concerning romance amid a background of violent gangs, its centerpiece is that signature solo. It wasn't the only song to have significant contributions from Clarence Clemons however; the title track of that same album has a short but memorable sax break.  'Bobby Jean' off the 'Born in the USA' album has an excellent outro solo and of course 'Dancing in the Dark', whose video featured a young Courteney Cox being invited up onstage with Springsteen while the Big Man plays out.

Clarence Clemons also played on other projects outside of Springsteen and one that raised a few eyebrows was his collaboration with 80s metallers Twisted Sister. He played a short solo on 'Be Chrool To Your Scuel', an unusually light-hearted rock 'n' roll number featuring a number of other notable guests including Alice Cooper, Brian Setzer and Billy Joel. Other artists he worked with included Aretha Franklin, Jackson Browne and more recently, Lady Gaga.

The last time I saw the E Street Band was in 1999 in Manchester, with all present and correct, looking in fine shape. However Clarence Clemons had suffered from ill-health for a number of years, and suffered a stroke on the 12th June. It was complications from that stroke which led to his death on Saturday evening.

Springsteen described the loss as "immeasurable" on his website and added: "His life, his memory, and his love will live on... in our band. " It seems inconceivable that there can be an E Street Band without The Big Man in it, such was his huge presence, but that seems to be the intention of The Boss.  Whatever he does, he, his band and the world of music have lost a true giant.