In the case of James Clancy, the path to enshrinement in the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame began in ninth grade, when he was invited to play keyboard with a garage band called Webster’s Unabridged.
To encourage him, Jim’s father purchased a used keyboard and an amplifier.
“I guess he hoped playing in a band would keep me out of trouble,” says Clancy, professor of prosthodontics in the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics. “And it did keep me out of trouble.”
Clancy would play with numerous bands over the years, including Dogs on Skis, the band that earned the Hall of Fame bid. Clancy was inducted along with current and other former members of the band.
The grandson of a concert pianist and classical music composer, Clancy became interested in music at an early age (although his musical inclinations veered toward top 40 selections).
During the 1970s, Clancy’s favorite groups included the Eagles, the Beatles, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Steve Windwood, and Eric Clapton. “I enjoy a lot of current artists too,” he says, “but my favorites are the old guys.”
As a teenager, Clancy played with the Arsenal, and later with Twentieth Century Limited, mostly at high school dances in eastern Iowa. As a college student at the UI, Clancy played with Gambler, a group he described as “a very good band,” at various locales in eastern Iowa and western Illinois. Gambler, which featured show sets, also toured around the United States during the summer. “That was a blast,” he recalls.
Clancy entered dental school at Iowa in 1974. After completing a Bachelor of Science in 1975, a Doctor of Dental Surgery in 1978, and a prosthodontics residency in 1980, Clancy spent nearly four years as a captain in the U.S. Air Force Dental Corps. In 1984, he went into private practice in Florida and also began playing with Black Diamond, a country music group. Because the band didn’t play often, Jim started writing and recording his own music.
Clancy returned to Iowa in 1986 after accepting a faculty position in the UI College of Dentistry’s Department of Prosthodontics. During this time, he contacted Mike Simpson, Gambler’s former drummer, and they created a new group, Dogs on Skis. They recruited musicians and created a repertoire of top 40 songs and classic rock.
Dogs on Skis performed in venues such as the Five Seasons Center (now the U.S. Cellular Center) and Brucemore in Cedar Rapids; the Iowa Memorial Union during UI Dance Marathons; street dance events in Mount Vernon, Cedar Rapids, and Hills; and the No Wa Wa Beach Festival in Williamsburg. Clancy enjoyed the beach festival the most: “They covered a cornfield with sand and set up a huge stage. We opened up for several nationally known acts and played to a crowd of more than 10,000.”
Three years later, the band’s popularity created such demand that Clancy had to forgo playing with the group in order to maintain his faculty responsibilities. Later, when the band members scaled back their playing schedule, he rejoined the group for a while. “Eventually, I quit for good to pursue recording,” Clancy says.
Clancy loved the camaraderie found in Dogs With Skis, and enjoyed playing for the energetic crowds. He remains in close touch with a couple of the original members and is good friends with all past and present band members. They call their interconnected friendships the “Dog Umbrella.” After 27 years, Dogs on Skis remains popular and prolific—in 2012, the band performed at nearly 80 events. “The current lineup of Dogs on Skis has a huge repertoire,” says Clancy, “and incredible vocal harmony.”
Several years ago, Clancy recruited some older musicians and formed the band Kelly and the Komb-overs. For five years, they played once a month. Currently without a band, Clancy does play keyboard and guitar for the Newman Singers at the Newman Center.
So how does it feel to be in the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
“To be honest, I didn’t know there was an Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame until a few years ago, but once nominated, a lot of my musician friends let me know what an honor it was and how difficult it is to become inducted,” Clancy says. “So I feel very privileged to receive the recognition, and I swear I did it without steroids.”