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Drummer from
Spokane, Washington, who left home whilst still in his teens to be a part
of the Californian music scene.
He was playing
congas in a San Francisco coffee house when he met Roger McGuinn (then Jim). Gene Clark and Jim (Roger) McGuinn hired Michael, along with David Crosby, to form
The Byrds.
Michael is credited with co-writing a couple of their songs, “Artificial
Energy” and “Captain Soul”.
He stayed with
them until 1967 and then relocated to the Hawaiian islands where he worked
for a short time in a hotel. He
re-emerged within a year and appeared on a pair of albums, The Fantastic World of Dillard &
Clark, and Burrito Deluxe, by
The Flying Burrito Brothers. After
his stint with the FBB, he re-joined the Byrds
for a reunion LP, and then hooked up with the soft-rock outfit, Firefall.
Jerry Jeff
Walker recruited him for his band in the 1980s, and Michael performed in
various incarnations of the Byrds, including Gene
Clark’s new band, Firebyrds. He started his own Byrds band in 1987, incurring the wrath of Byrds alums for using the name. In spite of this, the original band
members reunited for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in
1991.
On 19th
December 1993, Michael passed away in Treasure Island, Florida, of liver
failure, after years of heavy drinking. Michael was also a painter, and some
of his paintings were posthumously published in Musicians As Artists, a book by Dick Gautier and Jim
McMullan. His girlfriend, Susan
Paul, has since founded The Campaign for Alcohol-Free Kids, in Michael’s
name.
Sources:
- http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/120036/Michael-Clarke
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Clarke_%28musician%29
- http://www.starclustermusic.de/artists/byrds/clarke/bio/biotext/clarke1.htm
- http://www.answers.com/topic/michael-clarke-musician
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