Clement Burke (born Clement Anthony Bozewski; November 24, 1954) is an American musician who is best known as the drummer for the band Blondie from 1975, shortly after the band formed, throughout the band's entire career. He also played drums for the

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United St ...

for a brief time in 1987, and performed under the name Elvis Ramone.

Life and career

Burke's early experiences behind the drum kit began in the late 1960s and early 1970s as one of the founding members of Bayonne's premier cover bands, Total Environment and Sweet Willie Jam Band. Burke also gained percussion knowledge from his stint as a drummer in the famed Saint Andrew Bridgmen Drum and Bugle Corps in Bayonne. Recruited by

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...

and

Chris Stein Christopher Stein (born January 5, 1950) is an American musician known as the co-founder and guitarist of the new wave band Blondie. He is also a producer and performer for the classic soundtrack of the hip hop film ''Wild Style'', and writer ...

when Blondie was first forming in 1974, Burke joined Blondie in early 1975. He was a key figure in keeping the group together after Stein and Harry considered disbanding, following the departure of original bassist Fred Smith to

Television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

and he recruited his friend Gary Valentine to play bass. Burke's style of playing was influenced by

Hal Blaine Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929 – March 11, 2019) was an American drummer and session musician, thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles. ...

Keith Moon Keith John Moon (23 August 19467 September 1978) was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. He was noted for his unique style of playing and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour and addiction to drugs and alcohol. Moon grew ...

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

, and

Earl Palmer Earl Cyril Palmer (October 25, 1924 – September 19, 2008) was an American drummer. Considered one of the inventors of rock and roll, he is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Palmer was one of the most prolific studio musicians of a ...

. During the 1980s and 1990s, when Blondie was disbanded, Burke played drums for the Romantics (for whom Burke was the regular drummer between 1990 and 2004),

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Towns ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

Eurythmics Eurythmics were a British Pop music, pop duo consisting of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart (musician and producer), Dave Stewart. They were both previously in The Tourists, a band which broke up in 1980. The duo released their first studio alb ...

Dramarama Dramarama is an American, New Jersey–based alternative rock/power pop band, who later moved to Los Angeles. The band was formed in New Jersey in 1982 and disbanded in 1994. The band formally reunited in 2003 following an appearance on VH1's ...

the Fleshtones The Fleshtones are an American garage rock band from Queens, New York, United States, formed in 1976. History 1976–1979 The Fleshtones were formed in 1976 in Whitestone, New York, by Keith Streng (born September 18, 1955, New York City) an ...

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who w ...

, and

Joan Jett Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...

, amongst others. He went on to record with the line-up of

Chequered Past Chequered Past was a British-American Rock music, rock Supergroup (music), supergroup led by actor/singer Michael Des Barres and featuring members of Blondie (band), Blondie, the Sex Pistols and Tin Machine. They formed in 1982 and released one, ...

in 1983 with

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

guitarist

Steve Jones Steve or Steven Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Steve Jones (English presenter) (born 1945), English musician, disk jockey, television presenter, and voice-over artist * Steve Jones (musician) (born 1955), English rock and roll guita ...

, former Blondie bandmate Nigel Harrison, musician

Tony Sales Tony Fox Sales (born September 26, 1951) is an American rock musician and composer. Normally on bass guitar, Sales and his brother, Hunt Sales, have worked with Todd Rundgren, Iggy Pop, and in Tin Machine with David Bowie. Early life and career ...

and singer/actor

Michael Des Barres Michael Philip Des Barres (born 24 January 1948), the 26th Marquis Des Barres, is an English actor and rock singer. He appeared as Murdoc in the original '' MacGyver'', Nicholas Helman, Murdoc's mentor, on the new reboot of '' MacGyver'' (2016 ...

. In 1987, he stood in as drummer for the Ramones (under the name "Elvis Ramone") for two gigs, on August 28 in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

, and August 29 in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.Richie Ramone Richard Reinhardt (born August 11, 1957) is an American drummer best known by his stage name Richie Ramone, and for being the drummer for the punk band the Ramones from February 1983 until August 1987. As of 2022, he is one of the four survivi ...

.From the film '' End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones'' On October 8, 2004, he once again played under the name "Elvis Ramone", when he joined Tommy Ramone, C. J. Ramone, and

Daniel Rey Daniel Rey (born Daniel Rabinowitz) is an American musician, record producer and songwriter from New York City, best known for his work with the punk rock band Ramones. As a teenager Rey played in punk band Shrapnel, which also featured Dave Wyn ...

in the "Ramones Beat on Cancer" concert. He has recorded and played live with Wanda Jackson and

Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer and actress. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato), and is best known for her 1966 signature hit " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'. Nancy Sinatr ...

. Burke also played on

the Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboar ...

member Kathy Valentine's solo release ''Light Years'' in 2005. And he recorded and toured with

from Wayne, New Jersey and Los Angeles on their 1993 album '' Hi-Fi Sci-Fi''. Burke was inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...

in 2006 as a member of Blondie. In 2007, Burke joined Slinky Vagabond with

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

guitarist

Earl Slick Earl Slick (born Frank Madeloni in Brooklyn, New York, October 1, 1952) is a guitarist best known for his collaborations with David Bowie, John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Robert Smith. He has also worked with other artists including John Waite, Tim ...

Glen Matlock Glen Matlock (born 27 August 1956) is an English musician, best known for being the bass guitarist in the original line-up of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He is credited as a songwriter on 10 of the 12 songs on the Sex Pistols' only albu ...

, and Keanan Duffty playing their debut concert at the

Joey Ramone Jeffrey Ross Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American musician, best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the punk rock band Ramones. His image, voice, and his tenure with the R ...

Birthday Bash in May 2007. He is also a member of Magic Christian (Dirty Water Records), along with

Flamin' Groovies Flamin' Groovies is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965, originally co-led by Roy Loney and Cyril Jordan. After the Groovies released three albums, on Epic ('' Supersnazz'') and Kama Sutra (''Flamingo'' and '' Teenage Hea ...

guitarist Cyril Jordan (on guitar) and Plimsouls lead guitarist Eddie Munoz (on bass) and toured several times as drummer with the Hugh Cornwell Band. Burke played 90-minute sets at 100 concerts in a year and in 2008 it was reported that he had taken part in an 8-year study that analysed the physical and psychological effects of drumming and the stamina required by professional drummers, conducted jointly by the University of Gloucestershire and the

University of Chichester , mottoeng = By teaching, we learn , type = Public , established = 2005 , administrative_staff = 600 , vice_chancellor = Jane Longmore , city = Chichester, West Sussex , country = England, UK ...

.Rock drummers 'are top athletes' at BBC News Health
Retrieved 26 November 2015 In July 2011, Burke received an honorary doctorate from the University of Gloucestershire, as a result of the drumming project. In December 2011 he formed the band

the International Swingers The International Swingers is an American–British rock supergroup based in Los Angeles Formed in late 2011, the band is composed of Clem Burke (drums), Glen Matlock (bass/vocals), James Stevenson (lead guitar/vocals) and Gary Twinn (lead vo ...

with

bass player

, guitarist James Stevenson of

Generation X Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western demographic cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1960s as starting birth years and the late 1970s to early 1980s ...

and singer Gary Twinn of Supernaut. About the same time he became a founding member of

the Split Squad The Split Squad is a Rock and Roll band composed of Clem Burke (drums), Michael Giblin (bass/vocals), Josh Kantor (keyboards), Eddie Munoz (guitar/backing vocals), and Keith Streng (guitar/vocals). Each member came to the public's attention as a ...

, participating in tours, appearances at

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...

festivals, and in the recording of the album, ''Now Hear This...'', released in January 2014. In April 2013, Burke appeared on the

Little Steven Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandoli ...

song "All I Needed Was You" along with Scott Kempner, Barry Goldberg, Gregg Sutton and Tom Jr Morgan on the Carla Olson album ''Have Harmony, Will Travel''. In 2014, Burke was a founding member of the Empty Hearts. The group recorded on 429 Records and his bandmates included the Romantics guitarist and vocalist

Wally Palmar Wally Palmar (born Volodymyr Palamarchuk; April 27, 1954 in Hamtramck, Michigan) is a Ukrainian-American musician, singer, songwriter and composer. He is best known as a founding member and lead singer of The Romantics, a rock band from Detro ...

the Chesterfield Kings The Chesterfield Kings were a rock band from Rochester, New York, who began as a retro-1960s garage band, and who have heavily mined 1960s music, including some borrowing from the 1960s recordings of The Rolling Stones. Core members were form ...

bassist Andy Babiuk,

the Cars The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr ( bass guitar), Elliot Easton ( lead guitar), Greg Hawkes ( keyboar ...

guitarist Elliot Easton, and

Small Faces Small Faces were an English rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966. The ...

and Faces pianist

Ian McLagan Ian Patrick McLagan (; 12 May 1945 – 3 December 2014) was an English keyboardist, best known as a member of the rock bands Small Faces and Faces. He also collaborated with the Rolling Stones and led his own band from the late 1970s. He was i ...

. The band's self-titled first album was released August 5, 2014, and produced by Ed Stasium. In 2015, via

PledgeMusic PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects; such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist p ...

, the band The International Swingers raised the money to record their first full-length self-titled album, ''The International Swingers'' (originally under the working title ''Whatever Works Now''). The album was recorded at Studio 606 in LA which is owned by the

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) ...

. It was then mixed by Peter Walsh who has worked with

Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for " Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United ...

, Pulp and most recently Scott Walker. In 2017 Burke played dates as a member of L.A.M.F., a

Johnny Thunders John Anthony Genzale (July 15, 1952 – April 23, 1991), known professionally as Johnny Thunders, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence in the early 1970s as a member of the New York Dolls. He later played wit ...

tribute also featuring

Walter Lure Walter Lure (born Walter C. Luhr Jr., April 22, 1949 – August 21, 2020) was an American rock guitarist and singer. He was a member of the rock group The Heartbreakers. Biography Lure was born in Queens and raised in Floral Park, Long Island. He ...

Mike Ness Michael Daniel Ness (born April 3, 1962) is an American musician who is the lead guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the punk rock band Social Distortion, which was formed in 1978. Early life Ness was born in Lynn, Massachusetts on April ...

, and

. The reunion shows in New York took place at the Bowery Electric in Manhattan on November 15 and 16 2016 (without Glen Matlock), and were recorded for the release on an album released on Jungle Records in December 2017. In 2019 Burke played with Blondie tribute act Bootleg Blondie. In December 2021, Burke filled in on drums for Gina Schock during

The Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboar ...

show at the

Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed "the Whisky") is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boule ...

to celebrate their recent induction into the

. In 2008, Burke founded the Clem Burke Drumming project to investigate the physical and mental-health benefits of drumming.

Discography

''NOTE: This list includes albums in which Clem Burke was a band member or the featured drummer.'' ; With Blondie * '' Blondie'' (1976) * '' Plastic Letters'' (1977) * ''

Parallel Lines In geometry, parallel lines are coplanar straight lines that do not intersect at any point. Parallel planes are planes in the same three-dimensional space that never meet. ''Parallel curves'' are curves that do not touch each other or int ...

'' (1978) * '' Eat to the Beat'' (1979) * '' Autoamerican'' (1980) * '' The Hunter'' (1982) * ''

No Exit ''No Exit'' (french: Huis clos, links=no, ) is a 1944 existentialist French play by Jean-Paul Sartre. The play was first performed at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in May 1944. The play begins with three characters who find themselves waiting ...

'' (1999) * ''

The Curse of Blondie ''The Curse of Blondie'' is the eighth studio album from the American rock band Blondie. It was released in October 2003, and peaked at #36 in the UK. Background and recording The band departed from bankrupt Beyond Records and signed with So ...

'' (2003) * ''

Panic of Girls ''Panic of Girls'' is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Blondie. It was the band's first album of new material in nearly 8 years, since 2003's '' The Curse of Blondie''. The album was first released digitally on May 30, 2011, follo ...

'' (2011) * ''

Ghosts of Download ''Blondie 4(0) Ever'' is a double album by American rock band Blondie. It was released on May 12, 2014, by Noble ID in celebration of the band's 40th anniversary. The two-disc package consists of ''Greatest Hits Deluxe Redux'', a collection of r ...

'' (2014) * ''

Pollinator A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains. Insects are the m ...

'' (2017) ; With The Adult Net * ''The Honey Tangle'' (1989) ; With

BP Fallon Bernard Patrick Fallon (born 24 August 1946), known as BP Fallon, is an Irish DJ, author, photographer, and musician. He lives in Austin, Texas. Life At a young age Fallon became a personality and broadcaster in Ireland, later moving on to musi ...

& The Bandits * ''Still Legal'' (2013) ; With

Carla Olson Carla Olson (born July 3, 1952) is a Los Angeles-based songwriter, performer and record producer. Biography Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Olson moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1978 where she formed the Textones, whose debut album ''M ...

* '' Have Harmony, Will Travel'' (2013) ; With

* ''Chequered Past'' (1984) ; With The Delphines * ''The Delphines'' (1996) ; With

* '' Hi-Fi Sci-Fi'' (1993) ; With The Empty Hearts * ''The Empty Hearts'' (2014) * ''The Second Album'' (2020) ; With

* '' In the Garden'' (1981) * ''

Revenge Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." P ...

'' (1986) ; With

* '' Zombie Birdhouse'' (1982) ; With

The International Swingers The International Swingers is an American–British rock supergroup based in Los Angeles Formed in late 2011, the band is composed of Clem Burke (drums), Glen Matlock (bass/vocals), James Stevenson (lead guitar/vocals) and Gary Twinn (lead vo ...

* ''The International Swingers'' (2015) ; With Jimmy Destri * '' Heart on a Wall'' (1981) ; With Kathy Valentine * ''Light Years'' (2005) ; With Magic Christian * ''Evolver'' (2009) ; With Mark Owen * ''

Green Man The Green Man is a legendary being primarily interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, representing the cycle of new growth that occurs every Spring (season), spring. The Green Man is most commonly depicted in a sculpture, or other representation of ...

'' (1996) ; With Miss Derringer * ''Lullabies'' (2006) ; With

* '' White City: A Novel'' (1985) ; With

The Plimsouls The Plimsouls are an American rock band known for their hit single "A Million Miles Away" which was featured in the movie ''Valley Girl''. History The band was formed in Paramount, California in 1978. They recorded two full-length albums and an ...

* ''Kool Trash'' (1998) ; With The Romantics * ''Made in Detroit'' (1993) * '' 61/49'' (2003) ; With The 69 Cats * ''Transylvanian Tapes'' (2014) ; With

The Split Squad The Split Squad is a Rock and Roll band composed of Clem Burke (drums), Michael Giblin (bass/vocals), Josh Kantor (keyboards), Eddie Munoz (guitar/backing vocals), and Keith Streng (guitar/vocals). Each member came to the public's attention as a ...

* '' Now Hear This...'' (2014) ; With

* ''L.A.M.F. Live At The Bowery Electric'' (2017)

References

External links

Official Blondie websiteThe International Swingers' official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, Clem 1954 births Living people Ramones members Blondie (band) members American rock drummers American punk rock drummers American male drummers American punk rock musicians Musicians from Bayonne, New Jersey The Adult Net members American new wave musicians New wave drummers 20th-century American drummers The Romantics members Dramarama members The International Swingers members Holy Holy (tribute band) members