Cliff Duphiney

Cliff was born on Aug. 7, 1934, died Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005, in Mount Vernon, N.Y., died Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005, age 71 After graduation from Catholic schools, he attended the Julliard School of Music and The Art Student's League, both in New York City. He then served with the Navy aboard the USS Grackle, where he was a member of the Frogmen team. He retired from the service as a Lieutenant JG. At the age of 12, his musical career began when he formed and led his own 12-piece band, the Cliff Duphiney Orchestra, which played throughout Westchester County, N.Y. Following his stint in the Navy, he formed a trio called "My Three Sons," and played nightclubs throughout the country including the Sahara and Thunderbird hotels in Las Vegas. During his childhood, he developed a love for horses which continued throughout his life. During his career as a professional musician, he also rode the rodeo circuit and worked as a stuntman in movies which lead to his show name, "Cowboy at the Keyboard." His performance at the organ keyboard so impressed the Hammond Organ Co. that it provided him with a custom-built organ and gave his performance the title "Sounds Impossible." Cliff went on to make several RCA recordings of his organ music and vocals. After 10 years on the professional circuit, he was ready for a slower pace and came to Waterville where he performed at the Ferris Arms Hotel. There he met his future wife, the former Judy Shorey. They married on Sept. 24, 1967, and hit the road together with his organ and two horses, his stunt horse, Babe, and Judy's wedding gift, an Arabian horse named Jude whom he often rode in local parades. They traveled for a year to finish out Cliff's professional contract before settling in Fairfield. Their daughter Kellie was born Sept. 2, 1968. The family's Fairfield Riverside Ranch was known for its stable of magnificent Arabian horses. Cliff continued his musical career for many years in the state of Maine at such places as the Jed Prouty Tavern in Bucksport, The Carriage Inn in Pittsfield, The Silent Woman in Waterville, the Augusta House, the Country Loft in Troy and the American Legion in Waterville as well as many others. As a child he had taken art lessons as well as music lessons and in the late 1970s, while still working as an entertainer, he again picked up a paint brush and mastered his portrait skills. He soon opened Judy's Art Gallery in Fairfield and began giving art lessons and music lessons. In the past several years, he has done portraits of many famous performers and politicians. Cliff was a member of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Western Artists Association, and the Arabian Horse Association.