Born in Philadelphia, june 30, 1951 is an American bassist, composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music and is a shining example for a whole generation of jazz fusion musicians. He is the first jazz-fusion bassist to headline tours, sell out shows worldwide and have recordings reach gold status. Since the 1970s, Stanley has been regarded as the innovator of the leading bass players, together with Jaco Pastorius. In addition, he introduced the double bass to a rock-loving audience. In bands such as Chick Corea's Return to Forever, The Clarke/Duke Project and his own groups, he unleashed a true bass revolution. He is the patriarch of the 'slap' technique on the bass guitar and he lifted the sleight of hand on the double bass to another universe. Clarke is a 5-time Grammy winner, with 15 nominations and was selected to become a 2022 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship.