Photo by Carl DunnClem started off his professional career in 1968, forming the band Bakerloo Blues Line along with Terry Poole and Keith Baker. They opened for Led Zeppelins debut at the famous Marquee Club in October of '68. They put out a single in 1969 with two great songs, "Driving Bachwards" and "Once Upon A Time", and released their first album, self titled "Bakerloo" later that year. It was and still is a great album that does not get enough attention. Shortly after lineup changes occurred and the band fell apart.
In mid to late 1969 he joined Colosseum a Jazz/Blues/Rock band. He debuted on the album "The Grass is Greener" in mid 1970. He then played on "Daughter of Time" and "Colosseum Live" and the band split up in 1971.
After the split up of Colosseum, Clem joined Humble Pie, replacing Peter Frampton. When Clem joined the band, he brought in fresh energy and really helped the band grow to a better live band. He fit right in with the bluesy soul vocals of Steve Marriot, thunderous drumming of Jerry Shirley and the melodic Greg Ridley on bass. In studio he was nothing short of perfect playing on "Smokin'), "Eat It", "Thunderbox" and "Street Rats ", composing/contributing to 10 killer songs. You can catch him playing on "Extended Versions" and "In Concert: Humble Pie Live", two killer live recordings that show not only his extreme talent, but a rock n roll band that was giving it 110% and proving why they were one of the top dogs. In 1975 the band had split up. He auditioned to replace Ritchie Blackmore in Deep Purple, but Tommy Bolin was given the gig instead.
Steve Marriot LEFT, Clem RIGHTClem has gone on to play with Bob Dylan, Steve Marriots All Stars, Jack Bruce, Manfred Mann and The Hamburg Blues Band and many others. He has score credits in the movies "GI Jane", "Tomorrow Never Dies" and "Evita".He has his own band called "The Clem Clempson Band", and they play mostly in Germany and the UK. In 1994 he rejoined Colosseum and they continue to tour and put on a amazing live show, and are working on a new studio album "Anno Domini" and should be done this year hopefully.
INTERVIEW
TATE: How are you doing, Clem?
CLEM: I’m very well thanks.
TATE: What band or musician influenced you as a kid to get into music, and more specifically guitar?
CLEM: I was inspired by just about everything I heard on the radio growing up in the 50s, music generally aroused some kind of emotion; the early Rock’n’Roll of people like Bill Haley was very powerful of course, but I was also inspired by the classical music I was studying on piano.
TATE: What was your first guitar and amp?
CLEM: My first electric was a Futurama 3, but before long I managed to get my hands on my first “serious” guitar, a Gibson SG Junior. My first amp was a radio!! But the first proper guitar amp I had was a Selmer Treble’N’Bass 50 Reverb.
TATE: You have used numerous guitars over the years, but I mostly see you always use Gibson for the most part. What is your favorite Gibson you have owned or own? I personally loved that 50's Black Les Paul Custom you used in Humble Pie.
CLEM: My favorite is the 1958 Les Paul Goldtop that I’ve played in more or less every band I’ve been in since I bought it in 1968.
TATE: When you formed Bakerloo, you opened for Led Zeppelin. How was it? What do you think about Jimmy Page?
CLEM: That was a fun evening, especially as I’d already enjoyed quite a few jam sessions with Robert Plant and John Bonham in various Birmingham clubs. The Marquee gig was particularly memorable for John Bonham seeming to be a little worried afterwards that he may have made a mistake in leaving Tim Rose to join Zeppelin!! Jimmy is a very accomplished guitarist, and one of the great rock composers.
TATE: How did you feel when you joined Colosseum? Were you a fan of theirs before you joined?
CLEM: Yes, I’d seen them a couple of times and was blown away, so it was fantastic to be asked to join one of the best bands I’d ever heard.
TATE: When you joined Humble Pie, the band took on a whole new vibe. You and the boys were known for putting on a great live show. Smokin, Thunderbox, Eat It, and Street Rats are some serious killer albums. Are you proud of those records? Do you feel they still hold up to this day?
CLEM: I’m very proud of the records I made with the Pie, although I’ve never made a record that I didn’t have at least a few reservations about! The songs and performances still sound as good as ever to me, but sound-wise the quality of the recordings is variable.
TATE: What did you love most about Humble Pie?
CLEM: Steve’s writing ability. He wrote many wonderful songs for the band, but a lot of our album tracks also came from jams we’d have in rehearsal or the studio - my favorite track, Hot ’n’ Nasty was one of those. We managed to capture a great jam on tape, but it was Steve’s talent for coming up with a brilliant vocal line that turned it into a great song and made it one of our most successful tracks.
TATE: You've been in a bunch of great bands, and put out some amazing albums but if you had to choose one album you've played on as your favorite, what would it be?
CLEM: I’ve Always Wanted To Do This, by Jack Bruce and Friends. That’s the album I most enjoy hearing.
TATE: You've been playing professionally for over four decades now, what keeps you going? Do you still enjoy playing live as much as you did when you started out in the late 60’s?
CLEM: I still enjoy playing live, but when I started out that was the only thing I really wanted to do - the Bakerloo album was just the band playing live, but in a recording studio! These days I enjoy writing and the creativity of the recording process just as much as the gigs.
TATE: You have your own band The Clem Clempson Band, and have played with Hamburg Blues Band. Mostly playing in UK and Germany. Any plans for shows in the USA?
CLEM: There’s been some talk of a playing the Iridium in New York, but nothing definite as yet. I’d love to play there with my band or Colosseum of course!
TATE: What are your future plans, either in music or personal life?
CLEM: At the moment I’m busy recording a new Colosseum CD in preparation for a European tour in the fall, and some UK dates early in 2015.
TATE: What are some hobbies of yours that fans might not know of?
CLEM: Tennis, Badminton - playing football was my favorite until I broke my wrist - I kind of went off the idea after that!!
TATE: What do you think of the music world these days?
CLEM: I love the huge variety of music I hear these days, there’s a lot of creativity out there. But I feel very lucky to have started when I did - in those days it was much easier to make a living playing music than it is today.
TATE: Last but not least. What do you consider your greatest accomplishment in music or personal life?
CLEM: To have managed to earn a living whilst having a lot of fun making music for almost 50 years!
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