More than his sax solos, which were at best memorable (think “Jungleland” and “Bobby Jean”), Clemons’ smile epitomized the generosity of the E Street Band. The moments I choose to remember are in two hits from 1985: his solo in Aretha Franklin’s “Freeway of Love” and “You’re a Friend of Mine,” his duet with Jackson Browne, in which The Big Man forces Browne to smile so much that his dimples crack from the effort. It doesn’t feel smarmy — how can you deny a force as benign as Clemons?
