With thirty five records to play, the producers of American Bandstand were
constantly searching for new material. Clark met in his office with representatives of the
record industry to keep apprised of the latest releases and the newest singers and groups.
But in 1959, following the scandalous revelations that Charles Van Doren had been given
answers while a contestant on the popular TV quiz show Twenty-One (1956-1958) questions
were raised about the honesty of the record industry.
Investigators alleged that deejays accepted bribes to play certain songs, otherwise there
was no way to explain why many rock and roll songs had become popular. Being the number
one deejay in the country, Clark was called to testify at the 1959-1960 Congressional
hearings on payola. He swore he never took money or gifts, but he was still forced to give
up his interests in the record business