ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — Bill Clark has always told people he has been a musician all his life, until recently when he amended that statement after saying it to a friend.

“He said, ‘No you haven’t because you still have a lot of life left to live,’” Clark said, “so now I say I’ve been a musician all my life … up to this point.”

Clark developed a love of music at an early age. A native of Robertsdale, Clark’s father moved the family to Josephine at an early age, then to Saraland to be closer to his work in Mobile before moving back to Baldwin County, settling in Silverhill in 1958.

“My mother played piano and taught music, so it’s something I grew up around,” he said. His interest in music heightened as a teenager when he heard Pete Fountain, a Dixieland jazz musician, play. He found an old C-melody saxophone and in 1961 at age 14, began teaching himself to play.

“They don’t make them anymore,” he said. “It’s between a tenor and an alto sax and it was very popular in the 1920s.”

His love of music continued to blossom in high school, studying and playing in the Golden Bear Marching Band under the direction of Harold Clendinin, then went on to play in the University of Alabama’s Million Dollar Band after graduating high school in 1965.

“I enjoyed it,” he said. “I had a great time in high school. We had a pretty small band and some of the guys were also on the football team so it was even smaller in season.”

Clark met and married his wife Sandra in 1967 and transferred to the University of South Alabama, where he continued playing jazz tenor saxophone with the local jazz band.

“I think the school started in 1964 or 65 so it was all still relatively new,” he said. “While I was there they built a library and the student center, but when I first got arrived there were only three buildings on campus. Most of the students commuted and a lot of them still do, but back then it was a much higher percentage.”

Clark graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics, but was drafted into the Army right after graduating serving in Germany during the Vietnam war era. When he completed his tour of duty in 1972, Clark didn’t see a lot of opportunities to use his economics degree, so instead turned to music as a career.

“(The war) was winding down and there were a lot of young men being discharged, so there was a lot of competition in the job market at that time,” he said. “I found that I was making a lot more money playing music that I could at a bank, so I just followed what a really wanted to do anyway.”

From 1972 to 1986, he served as an active duty reserve, then, in 1987 joined the 151st Army National Guard Band, where he served until his retirement in 2007.

“I got to travel the world playing music,” he said, starting in North Carolina, then Germany and ending up in California before returning home to Alabama after retirement.

In 2003, Clark got a call from Joey Knight about helping to start a big band in Loxley.

“He and another man (Dale BeVier) were putting together this band so I helped recruit members and I joined in myself,” he said. And the City Rhythm Big Band was born.

Then, about three years ago, when BeVier and his wife moved to Virginia, Clark was asked to be the band’s director and manager.

“I don’t mind it,” he said. “There were times when I was called to direct the band when I was in the Army and I filled in several times through the years. In all honesty, I’d rather just play.”

The 18-piece band is the only one of its kind in the area playing a mix of big band music of the 1940s, Jazz, swing and ballroom style music. While they call Loxley home and rehearse at the Loxley Civic Center, they are available for dances, parties and special events. They have played for Honor Flight, at Civic Centers in Fairhope, Daphne and Mobile and at Foley’s Heritage Park, among other venues.

The band will kick off the 2011-12 season on Saturday with an Autumn Leaves Dance. Additional dances for this season are, Dec. 10, Christmas Dance; Jan. 21, Winter Dance; Feb. 11, Sweetheart Dance; March 17, March Dance; April 7, Spring Fling Dance; and May 19, May Flowers Dance.

All dances are held from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Loxley Civic Center. For more information visit http://www.cityrhythmbb.com, contact Clark at 251-945-7777 or the Loxley Civic Center, 251-964-4995 or 251-964-7733.

Clark gets to fulfill another dream this weekend, the dream of passing along his love of music to the next generation.

He and his wife have three grown daughters, Danielle, Whitney and Morgan, and three grandchildren.

His oldest grandson, Gage McKenzie, is a freshman in high school and plays in the Golden Bear Marching Band.

“He’s actually a better musician than I was at his age, which is a good thing,” Clark said. “He works hard enough at it that if he puts his mind to it, he can play just about any instrument.”

Clark said his grandson has played flute, bassoon and was called upon this season to play tuba in the marching band at RHS.

“I assume when they go into concert season, he will go back to the alto sax,” said Clark, which is what he will be playing this weekend in the City Rhythm Big Band.

“I needed a second alto sax to play this weekend, so I asked him if he could join us,” said Clark, who couldn’t hide the excitement of being able to share his love of music with his grandson. “I just love it.”