Thanks Michael , What a magnificent article on TH-cam, I've played the harmonica for 40years plus, I actually stopped playing after about 15 years when I hit the brick wall and was getting no were and felt I was not progressing with my playing . When another great harmonica player and Friend Paul Lamb told me to listen to a guy called William Clarke. After buying a couple of cds I was hooked, sold my car ,left England and went to America too see William play live 22 years later I'm still sitting at home drinking whiskey and trying to play William Clarke riffs, Best wishes to Jeanette and all William's Family and God Bless Bill gone ,but never forgotten
Thank you for this great tribute to William. I saw him several times and we became friends, wrote to him several times. I am a life guitar player and loved the organ trios also. I spoke to Williams wife on the phone years ago and she told me what happened to him and I was sick to my stomach for a long time. He was truly one of the last great great harp players. He had soul and transcended color and age. He was gifted and few harp men had his drive and swing as you stated. I met Richard Groove Holmes years ago and got to see him play and hang out with him for several hours at the gig. He, like William, was a down to earth nice guy and genious on his instrument. They brought peace and joy to anyone that heard them play. William was brilliant. The first time I saw him play, he counted off by pounding on the stage with his foot and shook the stage. He commanded your attention when he played like all great players. I will always miss his sound and presence, no one today plays, swings or sounds like him. He always played with great players and his guitar players were always top line. I hope we can see him in heaven. We only had a taste if his playing here. God Bless him and all the great players that helped him perform. I wish William and Albert King could have played together. Albert's song "Everybody Wants To Go to Heaven But Nobody Wants To Die" was one of my favorites. They are both there now and rockin' the house!
Michael I love this !!! Only got to see Him once in Charleston, S.C. 1996, I was the Black Man there at Cumberland's, my band Dr. Dixon and The Operator's played there too. Introducing myself to Him telling Him that His mentor George Smith was the first real HarpMan I got to see and play with in Atlanta, GA. 1967, and that my mentor was from 1974-77 Big Walter Horton. Well We became instant friends that night and recorded it on cassette. He was AWESOME !!! At one point He came off the bandstand came up to me falling to His knee's, then on His back right at my feet Blowin' His Soul Out !!! It's all there on the tape as I'm woopin' and hollerin' at what He was doing as I've done it too but only when that Spirit hits me, so I knew what He was doing was Special !!! Michael I too was heart broken to hear of His passing later that year !!! He gave me his "Hard Times" Cd, I didn't read the liner notes until 1997 after hearing of His passing, listening the Cd and opening to read the liner notes I began to weep as there He'd written His name and phone number !!! Dang I wish I'd seen it before He passed away as I surly would have called Him !!! Bless You for posting this Great Tribute to Him !!! Everything You said is True there can be No Doubt Period !!! "Respect of The Blues",Dr. Dixon, Bh.D "The Blues Physician"
I had the great fortune of interviewing William Clarke back in or around 1992 in Norway. He was a great guy, and because he was too drunk to do the interview after the gig, I drove him and the band back to the hotel. He then promised me the interview the day after, so I turned up the next day, took him and the guys to a nearby diner for breakfast and got the interview. I have never met a bunch of guys so down to earth and grounded. I owe a lot of my music interest to William Clarke, and I am sad to say I did not ever realize he had passed until today. It is a sad, sad day for me.
Nice, Nice, Nice ! Nice to hear "da Bluez" played well in these days ! Thanks to those bands who are still producing the fine sounds they are putting out, supporting true blues. This is Good Stuff ! Now "Go & Enjoy" !
Hello Everyone This is some Great Stuff. I Remember Finding His Music, at A Best Buy Not Having Enough Money to Buy All His Music, Hoping it Will Still Be There. the Covers Are What Sold me on His Music, so 1. Day I Went By A Place I Kept Hearing Great Music, at A Auto Shop. it Was Weird Because I See A Classic Black Truck That Had Art Work on the Back of the Tail Gate and it Was William Clarke With His Harmonica, and so I Never Went in Because of it Being in the Middle of the Day. so I Would Go By A Lot and See the Guy out Front Sometimes. Well 1. Day I Go to the Long Beach, Blues, Festival in California Where i'm From. Well 1. Day I See the Guy and That is How I Got to Know Him. so He Sees me and I Say "Hey I Know you. your That Guy Who Fixes VW Bugs. so We Got to Talking and I Told Him About the Truck. the Guy With the Truck Worked for Him A Bit. so 1. Day I Go to A Place in Montebello Called the Red Rooster to Play on A Open Mic Nigh and I Go up and There Was A Guy I Met and it Turns out He Was the Guy That Owned the Truck With William Clarke on the Back. I Was Saying OH Have you Ever Heard of A Guy Named William Clarke. He is Bad Ass. I Have His CD's. He Goes OH I Know Him. He is A Good Friend of Mine. He Said His Older Brother When William Clarke came over. the Panel Truck you See on 1. of His CD's. His Older Brother Would Work on William Clarke's Chevy Panel. Well 1. Day I Go Back to my Friends Shop That Fixes VW Bugs and I See Another Guy. I Was Saying the Same Thing so Have you Ever Heard of William Clarke. Ya. He Was my Best Friend. I Knew Him Really Well. He is A Great Harmonica, Player. so That is Kinda How I Met These People and the 2nd. Guy That Knew Him. His is Now my Go to Harmonica, Teacher. He is A World Class, Harmonica, Teacher and the Master of Not only the Harmonica, But the Chromatic Harmonica, and Both Guys Have Said William Clarke is 1. of the Baddest Harmonica, Players Around. I Would Have to Agree. so I Thought I Would Put the Times Down. I Thought it Would Be Cool. Great Story. Thanks!
Thanks Michael ,
What a magnificent article on TH-cam, I've played the harmonica for 40years plus, I actually stopped playing after about 15 years when I hit the brick wall and was getting no were and felt I was not progressing with my playing . When another great harmonica player and Friend Paul Lamb told me to listen to a guy called William Clarke. After buying a couple of cds I was hooked, sold my car ,left England and went to America too see William play live
22 years later I'm still sitting at home drinking whiskey and trying to play William Clarke riffs, Best wishes to Jeanette and all William's Family and God Bless Bill gone ,but never forgotten
Thank you for this great tribute to William. I saw him several times and we became friends, wrote to him several times. I am a life guitar player and loved the organ trios also. I spoke to Williams wife on the phone years ago and she told me what happened to him and I was sick to my stomach for a long time. He was truly one of the last great great harp players. He had soul and transcended color and age. He was gifted and few harp men had his drive and swing as you stated. I met Richard Groove Holmes years ago and got to see him play and hang out with him for several hours at the gig. He, like William, was a down to earth nice guy and genious on his instrument. They brought peace and joy to anyone that heard them play. William was brilliant. The first time I saw him play, he counted off by pounding on the stage with his foot and shook the stage. He commanded your attention when he played like all great players. I will always miss his sound and presence, no one today plays, swings or sounds like him. He always played with great players and his guitar players were always top line. I hope we can see him in heaven. We only had a taste if his playing here. God Bless him and all the great players that helped him perform. I wish William and Albert King could have played together. Albert's song "Everybody Wants To Go to Heaven But Nobody Wants To Die" was one of my favorites. They are both there now and rockin' the house!
Michael I love this !!! Only got to see Him once in Charleston, S.C. 1996, I was the Black Man there at Cumberland's, my band Dr. Dixon and The Operator's played there too. Introducing myself to Him telling Him that His mentor George Smith was the first real HarpMan I got to see and play with in Atlanta, GA. 1967, and that my mentor was from 1974-77 Big Walter Horton. Well We became instant friends that night and recorded it on cassette. He was AWESOME !!! At one point He came off the bandstand came up to me falling to His knee's, then on His back right at my feet Blowin' His Soul Out !!! It's all there on the tape as I'm woopin' and hollerin' at what He was doing as I've done it too but only when that Spirit hits me, so I knew what He was doing was Special !!! Michael I too was heart broken to hear of His passing later that year !!! He gave me his "Hard Times" Cd, I didn't read the liner notes until 1997 after hearing of His passing, listening the Cd and opening to read the liner notes I began to weep as there He'd written His name and phone number !!! Dang I wish I'd seen it before He passed away as I surly would have called Him !!! Bless You for posting this Great Tribute to Him !!! Everything You said is True there can be No Doubt Period !!! "Respect of The Blues",Dr. Dixon, Bh.D "The Blues Physician"
Yes, it was a real loss for all of us.
I had the great fortune of interviewing William Clarke back in or around 1992 in Norway. He was a great guy, and because he was too drunk to do the interview after the gig, I drove him and the band back to the hotel. He then promised me the interview the day after, so I turned up the next day, took him and the guys to a nearby diner for breakfast and got the interview. I have never met a bunch of guys so down to earth and grounded. I owe a lot of my music interest to William Clarke, and I am sad to say I did not ever realize he had passed until today. It is a sad, sad day for me.
Nice, Nice, Nice ! Nice to hear "da Bluez" played well in these days ! Thanks to those bands who are still producing the fine sounds they are putting out, supporting true blues. This is Good Stuff ! Now "Go & Enjoy" !
One of the greatest blues harp players that ever lived.
This is brilliant. Thank you so much!!
Hello Everyone This is some Great Stuff. I Remember Finding His Music, at A Best Buy Not Having Enough Money to Buy All His Music, Hoping it Will Still Be There. the Covers Are What Sold me on His Music, so 1. Day I Went By A Place I Kept Hearing
Great Music, at A Auto Shop. it Was Weird Because I See A Classic Black Truck That Had Art Work on the Back of the Tail Gate and it Was William Clarke With His Harmonica, and so I Never Went in Because of it Being in the Middle of the Day.
so I Would Go By A Lot and See the Guy out Front Sometimes. Well 1. Day I Go to the Long Beach, Blues, Festival in California Where i'm From. Well 1. Day I See the Guy and That is How I Got to Know Him. so He Sees me and I Say "Hey I Know you. your
That Guy Who Fixes VW Bugs. so We Got to Talking and I Told Him About the Truck. the Guy With the Truck Worked for Him A Bit. so 1. Day I Go to A Place in Montebello Called the Red Rooster to Play on A Open Mic Nigh and I Go up and There Was A
Guy I Met and it Turns out He Was the Guy That Owned the Truck With William Clarke on the Back. I Was Saying OH Have you Ever Heard of A Guy Named William Clarke. He is Bad Ass. I Have His CD's. He Goes OH I Know Him. He is A Good Friend of
Mine. He Said His Older Brother When William Clarke came over. the Panel Truck you See on 1. of His CD's. His Older Brother Would Work on William Clarke's Chevy Panel. Well 1. Day I Go Back to my Friends Shop That Fixes VW Bugs and I See Another
Guy. I Was Saying the Same Thing so Have you Ever Heard of William Clarke. Ya. He Was my Best Friend. I Knew Him Really Well. He is A Great Harmonica, Player. so That is Kinda How I Met These People and the 2nd. Guy That Knew Him. His is Now
my Go to Harmonica, Teacher. He is A World Class, Harmonica, Teacher and the Master of Not only the Harmonica, But the Chromatic Harmonica, and Both Guys Have Said William Clarke is 1. of the Baddest Harmonica, Players Around. I Would Have
to Agree. so I Thought I Would Put the Times Down. I Thought it Would Be Cool. Great Story. Thanks!
Nice!! Happy New Years!!
1. (0:47)
2. (6:00)
3. (7:58)
4. (8:06)
5. (9:30)
6. (11:58)
7. (16:15)
8. (17:07)
9. (19:44
10. (21:19)
Total Time 23:52
umm.. 1950 if i am not mistaken....