SINGER-SONGWRITER Terry Clarke’s final album Walk Like A King is a musical tribute to one of his heroes, the poet Dylan Thomas.
Tracks include Lament For Dylan, The Last Chance Saloon, (Dylan Thomas) in New York and the title track Walk Like a King - all references to various parts of the poet’s life.
These, along with the other dozen tracks on the album, carry Terry Clarke's lyricism and strong melodic lines.
The CD displays many of the influences that guided Clarke’s output — country, rockabilly, blues, folk and Irish laments.
But Clarke always saw Dylan Thomas as one of his brightest lodestars.
He wrote: “The Dylan Thomas who sailed into New York in 1949, left behind a bombed out, impoverished, austerity ridden Great Britain.
“It was a Britain where lives and choices were still ruled by rationing and darkened by memories of air raids and fear.
“He sailed into a neon-drenched world where be-bop was spoken, where the dreams of; Elvis Presley, The Drifters, Johnny Cash, West Side Story, Dion DiMucci and Jack Kerouac were about to be born.
“I imagine Dylan Thomas sitting in the Cadillac's back seat, dropping Almond Joy wrappers in the foot-well while up front, Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty are scanning the road like hawks on jazz in Kerouac's On The Road.”
Terry Clarke's Walk Like a King
Clarke died last year, aged 72.
He was born in Reading, Berkshire, to Joseph Clarke, an Irish labourer who had emigrated to England as a 14-year-old, and his Irish wife, Florence (nee Edmonds), who worked in the local Huntley & Palmers biscuit factory.
The young Clarke began his musical career in his early teens, playing guitar in local country music groups in Bristol, including the Statesmen Tavern.
He moved on to become a singer and guitarist in various reggae and soul bands, until in the late 70s and early 80s he fronted and was a co-writer in the soul/funk/pop band Domino Effect, which released three singles.
His first album as Terry Clarke was Call Up a Hurricane (1988), which featured his compositions of Texas rock & roll and classic country ballads.
Clarke’s fans (and champions) included Johnny Cash.
The country music star wrote the sleeve notes for Clarke’s 1993 album, Rhythm Oil.
Clarke became a familiar act in London from the 1980s onwards, appearing at venues such as The Mean Fiddler, The Robey and The Weaver’s Arms.
By the 1990s his profile was beginning to rise, and his music was included on various compilations with artists such as Willie Nelson, The Band, and Joe Ely, among others.
Clarke’s 1991 album The Shelly River featured songs inspired by his father’s emigration, and the experiences of being an Irish immigrant in Britain.
The album enjoyed critical and commercial success, and on the back of this Clarke toured Ireland with his friend Henry McCullough, formerly of Wings.
This final album Walk Like A King, released posthumously at the end of last year, is likely to enjoy the same amount of success.
His inspiration, the poet Dylan Thomas, would undoubtedly have approved.
Walk Like A King: Songs for Dylan Thomas is available for download and as a CD on Bandcamp and is at www.copperplatemailorder.com.
