Star's first rockin' recording in 48 years 50's star Joe Clay is to make his first rock'n'roll recording in nearly half a century... at a house in North London. 48 years after his hits, Ducktail, Sixteen Chicks, Cracker Jack and Get On The Right Track, the rockabilly legend will cut his new album at the home of producer and musician Jose Espinosa. Despite the long break since his heyday, 65-year-old Clay will find himself right at home... Jose's studio is a 1950s time capsule. "The studio is situated in my Edwardian house in Muswell Hill," explained Jose. "I use period-correct equipment with some modern back end (tape machines, a computer to make the actual CD, etc.) This means I spend most of my free time hunting out old 50s recording equipment and then restoring it. I tend to favour the RCA equipment and have a pretty extensive collection of microphones, pre-amps and such. I have also built some equipment from old RCA schematics." Not only will Espinosa record the session. He'll also play double bass and has written some of the songs. He said: "From the little I have spoken with Joe, the songs are just what he wanted - something in the 50's style without being to clichéd." Laid back Jose was asked to organise the recording session by Clay's record company, El Toro, run by Carlos Diaz. "I have a long history with Carlos, and he likes the sound of my studio," said Jose. "So he contacted me asking first if I wanted to play on the record and second if I wanted to record it. 'Hell yes' was my answer to both." Jose will try to foster the spirit of a Sam Philips-style recording - aiming to capture the artist in action without any pressure to watch the studio clock. "Because I own the whole set-up outright I can be choosy about who and what I record. I will only take a project if I feel I can compliment the music and do it justice. If I don't think I can do the best job possible, it means I will have to (and have done) decline a project. Since the studio is in my home the environment tends to be pretty laid back which I find helps the atmosphere. People tend to relax and let the real music come out rather than worry about using up studio time." The backing band will consist of Jose on dog house bass, Mick Cocksedge on acoustic guitar, Brian Neville on drums and Mario Cobo and Malcolm Chapman playing lead guitars. Jose has played with numerous well known rockabilly bands such as the Sugar King Boys and the Cordwood Draggers. Mick can also be found strumming and crooning with the Cordwood Draggers.Brian has toured extensively with Deke Dickerson, Carl Sunny Leyland and others. His discography extends to well past 50 records, and he has backed numerous 50s artists including the Collins Kids and Glenn Glenn. Mario and Malcolm are among the top rockabilly guitar players in Europe. Bus driver On his visit to the UK Joe Clay is fitting in the recording around an appearance at the Hemsby weekender. Hemsby has a special place in the Joe Clay story. It was the weekender's boss Willie Jeffery who launched the star's comeback in 1986 when he brought him over to play in Britain. Interest in Joe's music had been revived when his some of songs were included on a German rockabilly compilation but it took Jeffery four years to track down Clay, who had for many years been working as a bus driver in New Orleans. Claiborne Joseph Cheramie got his big break in May 1956 when he was invited to appear on the prestigious Ed Sullivan Show. But the host refused to let him play the raucous song, Ducktail, and insisted that he sing The Platters' sedate Only You. Clay's career never really took off. His records, while critically acclaimed, failed to sell in large numbers and Clay found himself in dispute with his manager who discouraged him from performing outside New Orleans. Now, nearly 50 years later, Joe Clay is finally getting the recognition that eluded him first time round. |
