Arranger, conductor, Electric Light Orchestra member, Elyria resident: Louis Clark dies at 73

ELYRIA — Louis "Lou" Clark made his name performing on stages around the world as a conductor, an arranger and a member of the groundbreaking rock 'n' roll group Electric Light Orchestra, but the native Briton made his home in Elyria. It was on this side of the pond that the Grammy-nominated artist, 73, died Saturday following a long illness. "Lou loved it here, absolutely loved it," said Gloria Clark, his wife. But for a man who toured the world, was introduced to Queen Elizabeth II and held an honorary lifetime membership in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, he never was one to go around town aggrandizing himself. "Lou was so humble that he would get very embarrassed if someone came up and approached him," Gloria Clark said, although she remembers him always being polite and setting his embarrassment aside to sign autographs when fans asked. The two met in the early 1980s at the Richfield Coliseum, where Lorain native Gloria Clark — then Gloria Bentley — accompanied her sister backstage at an Electric Light Orchestra concert. Lou Clark was a "quiet, quiet man," said family friend Sara Sharick, but when he spotted Gloria backstage, it was love at first sight. The feeling turned out to be mutual. The couple maintained a long-distance relationship for a time, then wed in 1986 and started their new life together. Gloria Clark said they purchased homes in Elyria and London within the same month. In 1994, when Lou and Gloria's daughter Rachel was about 3, they packed their bags for the United States and settled full time in Elyria. Despite his success in the music scene, Lou always maintained a relatively low profile in Elyria. But if someone was looking for him, they could make an educated guess and try Smitty's Place restaurant and bar. "In England, your favorite pub is called your 'local.' Well, Lou loved Smitty's and he called it his local," Gloria Clark said. "Not only was Lou there, Mik Kaminski, who is an original Electric Light Orchestra member, whenever he was here staying with us, he went there as well." Lou Clark was born in 1947 and raised in Bridgnorth, a town in Shropshire, England. He had an interest in fusing musical genres from early in his career. He joined a band called Monopoly in 1964, where along with bandmate Raymond Froggatt he brought classical and rock music together by incorporating orchestra pieces, according to his obituary. He enrolled in the Leeds Conservatoire, formerly the City of Leeds College of Music, at age 24 to pursue studies in flute, keyboards and composition. After graduating, he agreed to write some arrangements for Froggatt. In the course of working on those pieces with an orchestra at De Lane Lea Studios in London, Lou Clark's style caught the ear of Electric Light Orchestra co-founder Jeff Lynne, who stopped by and said hello. That led to Clark joining the band as its orchestral arranger beginning with the hit 1974 album "Eldorado." While on tour, Lou also played keyboards for the band, and would go on to play with the Electric Light Orchestra successor groups ELO Part II and The Orchestra. He performed shows with The Orchestra until last year, pausing only due to declining health. Beyond his work with Electric Light Orchestra, Lou had an acclaimed solo career, releasing the 1979 record "Perspektiv" and the highly charting 1981 "Hooked on Classics" project with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra that fused classical music with modern styles. He continued working with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and was made an honorary lifetime member after a performance at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 1983. It was easily among the greatest honors of his career. "The leader of the orchestra stood up and they made the announcement to Lou and gave him the plaque," Gloria Clark said. "He wasn't just choked up. He cried." Gathering with a small group of family and friends Monday in the Elyria home she shared with Lou, Gloria Clark reminisced over walls decorated with old photos and record certifications. A world map had pins stuck in many of the locations Lou had traveled with her and other members of the family — it was full of pins. Gloria's stepson and Lou's son, Louis Clark Jr., brought out original handwritten Electric Light Orchestra scores, and the family hummed along to some of the classic tunes. Sharick, a family friend, is working on writing a book about Lou's life. She has done extensive research and hopes to document the life that Elyria's most humble rock star would never have boasted about himself. "If you sat down and talked to him today, he would tell you nothing that he does is greater or better," Sharick said. "He is just doing what he loves to do." Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.