Known as the Singing Trooper, Dan Clark found an appreciative audience at the Stoughton Public Library Saturday afternoon.Performing classic American songs, Clark drew a large crowd for his performance of "A Concert of Popular Songs with Daniel Clark."
Before a robust singing of "God Bless America," Clark told the story of performing the song during Boston Red Sox games at Fenway Park.
"The one thing I do is that I hold that last note for as long as humanly possible," said Clark, a retired Massachusetts State Trooper. "And why, not only do I love to do that, but they tell me, 'Dan, you have to sing the short version of 'God Bless America' because you have to fit into the commercial break.' "
Clark doesn't exactly follow those directions.
"I'm a wise-guy," he said. "I hold that note for as long as I can until they come back from commercial. I'm still on the field holding that, so as a result of that, I'm kind of graying out, almost passing out (because) I hold that note so long."'
That worries Clark's wife.
"Mary looks at me and says, 'Dan, I want you to be careful when you go there to sing, because I'm afraid you might hurt yourself.' I say, 'Mary, if I shall step out onto that grass, and shall drop and my heart stop while I'm singing 'God Bless America' at Fenway Park for the Boston Red Sox vs. the New York Yankees no less, I don't want anyone to shed a tear for me, because I will have been the happiest of men.' "
Clark's appearance was sponsored by the SOLA (Support Our Library Association) and by the Stoughton Cultural Council.
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