The following comes from http://www.gmmy.com/crooners/clark/biography.htm
“Buddy Clark was a likable, versatile singer whose career was cut short at the age of 37 by an airplane crash on October 2, 1949, at 9 p.m. PST.
“Buddy Clark’s real name was “Samuel Goldberg,” he was born 1912 in Dorchester, Mass., a suburban city of Boston, and grew up in the West end, of Boston. As a youngster, he expressed strong interests in sports, body building, exercising, and one of his big dreams was to become a professional baseball player. Buddy even had plans to become a lawyer. He attended Northeastern Law School, in Boston. A Strong Love For Music However, his love for music was stronger than his dreams of becoming a pro baseball player or an attorney.
“As a young boy Buddy sang as often as he could at gatherings, and in what today’s times would be called ‘joints’ — local pubs, where the floors of the local pubs, and barrooms were covered with sawdust. He often times sang just to earn enough to pay for a square meal. Neighbors, and friends, who heard this young lad sing, were supportive, whether he sang on the streets or in a pub…he was well liked. It wasn’t long before Buddy was appearing with local Boston bands, singing his heart out to supportive loyal Boston Fans.
“At 17 years old the young Sam Goldberg was singing at a local wedding in Boston, when he was heard by David Lilienthal a proprietor of Boston’s leading furriers I. J. FOX, located on Washington St., in Boston. Sam became a protégé of Mr. Lilienthal who arranged music lessons for him and started him off on a professional career as a band vocalist and radio star. He appeared for nine years on a Boston radio show, sponsored by I.J. Fox.
“Sam was now on his way to a new musical career with his own Boston radio show, with a new name, where he was billed as BUDDY CLARK, a name that had more of a show business flair than his own. It wasn’t too long that the Buddy Clark stylish unique baritone voice was catching on to local audiences in his own home state of Massachusetts. In 1934, a few years after his successful Boston radio show, he made his big band singing debut career, in earnest as a vocalist, with the Benny Goodman band on the ‘Let’s Dance’ Radio Show.
“Buddy was billed on several other top radio shows, including the “Hit Parade” from 1936 to 1939. Buddy made scores of hit records, many of them with Xavier Cugat’s orchestra.
“Buddy Clark put his career on hold by enlisting into the U.S. Army for three years during World War II. While serving his country, Buddy sang with many of the military bands until his discharge in 1945, in which he resumed his career. For the last ten years of his singing career as a super star in radio and a top ranking celebrity of the juke boxes.
“Buddy Clark and five other friends rented a small plane to attend a ‘Sanford vs. Michigan’ football game. After the game on the way back to Los Angeles, the plane developed a sputtering engine problem, due to lack of gas, and lost altitude and crashed on Beverly Boulevard, in California. Buddy was thrown from the plane. He did not survive the crash. At that time, he was 37 years old reaching new heights of popularity, when tragedy struck.”