Dee Clark (November 7, 1938 – December 7, 1990) was an American soul singer renowned for his series of R&B and pop hits during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Born in Blytheville, Arkansas, he moved to Chicago with his family in 1941, where his mother, Delecta, a gospel singer, nurtured his passion for music.

Clark began his musical journey in 1952 as a member of The Hambone Kids, achieving an R&B hit with their song "Hambone." In 1953, he joined an R&B group called the Goldentones, which later evolved into the Kool Gents. The group gained recognition when Chicago radio disc jockey Al Benson discovered them after they won a talent competition. Benson helped secure a recording contract for the Kool Gents with the Falcon/Abner label. They subsequently changed their name to the Opals and recorded for Falcon/Abner in 1956.

Embarking on a solo career in 1957, Clark enjoyed several moderate successes over the next four years, with two of his singles, "Just Keep It Up" and "Hey Little Girl," reaching the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. His most significant hit, "Raindrops," was released in the spring of 1961. This power ballad, featuring sound effects of rain and thunder alongside Clark's soaring falsetto, peaked at number two on the pop chart, just behind Brook Benton’s "Quarter to Three," and reached number three on the R&B charts. The song's narrative revolves around a man convincing himself that his tears are merely raindrops, in line with the idea that "a man ain't supposed to cry." "Raindrops" sold over two million copies and remains a classic on oldies radio playlists. It has been covered by various artists, including Johnny Rivers, Jerry Lee Lewis, and, notably, Johnny Rodriguez, who took the song to number 30 on the country chart in 1974. Clark himself revisited "Raindrops" with an updated version in 1973.

Unfortunately, Clark's biggest hit marked the peak of his commercial success. The follow-up single, "Don't Walk Away From Me," failed to perform well, and he only made the pop charts in the United States twice more with "I'm Going Back to School" in 1962 and "Crossfire Time" in 1963. By the release of "Crossfire Time," Clark had transitioned from Vee-Jay to the Constellation label. Despite continuing to record for Constellation until 1966, none of his subsequent releases charted. A brief resurgence occurred in 1975 when "Ride a Wild Horse" unexpectedly entered the top 30 of the UK Singles Chart, marking his first UK hit since "Just Keep It Up."

In the years that followed, Clark primarily performed on the oldies circuit. However, by the late 1980s, he faced significant financial difficulties, living in a welfare hotel in Toccoa, Georgia. Despite suffering a stroke in 1987 that left him partially paralyzed and with a mild speech impediment, he continued to perform until his passing on December 7, 1990, in Smyrna, Georgia, due to a heart attack at the age of 52.