Clive William Bunker (born 30 December 1946) is a British drummer. He is best known as the original drummer of the rock band Jethro Tull, playing in the band from 1967 until 1971. Never a self-professed technical drummer, Bunker engaged with the essence of blues and rock 'n' roll, influenced by

Ginger Baker Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and Music of Africa, Africa ...

and Mitch Mitchell. He was also inspired by Buddy Rich and

The Hollies The Hollies are an English rock and pop band formed in Manchester in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Singer Allan Clarke and ...

' Bobby Elliott.

Career

Early career

Bunker was born in

Luton Luton () is a town and borough in Bedfordshire, England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census. Luton is on the River Lea, about north-west of London. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settleme ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

, and played in his first band The Warriors in the 1960s. With Mick Abrahams he later formed the band known as McGregor's Engine. In this early career, playing in small venues, Bunker had an extraordinary non-matching drum kit, composed of bits and pieces of various manufacturers’ equipment.

Jethro Tull

Between 1967 and 1971, he drummed for Jethro Tull. However, he left after the band released its most popular

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

to that date, '' Aqualung'', to get

married Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

and spend more time with his new wife. He was replaced by Barriemore Barlow, a school friend of the group's singer/songwriter

Ian Anderson Ian Scott Anderson (born 10 August 1947) is a British musician best known for being the chief vocalist, Flute, flautist, and acoustic guitarist of the British rock band Jethro Tull (band), Jethro Tull. He is a multi-instrumentalist who also p ...

. Bunker said about his decision to leave Jethro Tull while its success was growing: :"I had always told Ian, 'If I find the right lady, I'll be gone,' and I did just that. That was just at the start of their world touring in '72, and I wouldn't have been back in England for ages at a time. So I thought that I might as well end it then. Besides, Barrie was always in the background anyway, so I knew I wasn't going to put them in a difficult situation. You must understand that back then, we didn't have any time off; it was non-stop work, and I wanted to spend time with my wife."

Later career

After Jethro Tull, Bunker recorded and performed as a session musician with a variety of acts, including

Blodwyn Pig Blodwyn Pig was a British blues rock musical ensemble, band, founded in 1968 by guitarist–vocalist–songwriter Mick Abrahams. Career Abrahams left Jethro Tull (band), Jethro Tull after their debut album, ''This Was'', was released, due to a ...

Robin Trower Robin Leonard Trower (born 9 March 1945) is an English rock guitarist who achieved success with Procol Harum throughout 1967–1971 and then again as the bandleader of his own power trio known as the Robin Trower Band. Biography Robin Trower ...

, Steve Howe,

Manfred Mann's Earth Band Manfred Mann's Earth Band are an English rock band formed by South African musician Manfred Mann (musician), Manfred Mann. Their hits include covers of Bruce Springsteen's "For You (Bruce Springsteen song), For You", "Blinded by the Light" an ...

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish musician. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of Rock music, rock band Cream (band), Cream. After the group disbanded in 1968, he pursued a ...

, Gordon Giltrap,

Uli Jon Roth Uli Jon Roth (born Ulrich Roth; 18 December 1954) is a German guitarist who became famous for his work with the hard rock band Scorpions and is one of the earliest contributors to the neoclassical metal genre. He is also founder of the Sky Ac ...

, Electric Sun,

Steve Hillage Stephen Simpson Hillage (born 2 August 1951) is an English musician, best known as a guitarist. He is associated with the Canterbury scene and has worked in experimental domains since the late 1960s. Besides his solo sound recording and reprodu ...

Solstice A solstice is the time when the Sun reaches its most northerly or southerly sun path, excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around 20–22 June and 20–22 December. In many countries ...

, Glenn Hughes and

Jerry Donahue Jerry Donahue (born September 24, 1946, Manhattan, New York City) is an American guitarist and producer primarily known for his work in the British folk rock scene as a member of Fotheringay and Fairport Convention as well as being a member of ...

. He was a session musician on

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band Generation X's second LP '' Valley of the Dolls'' (1979).'Running with the Boss Sound', article by Derwood Andrews, 'Mojo' magazine, February 2008. In 1978, Bunker founded the band

Aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they a ...

with

Jack Lancaster Jack Lancaster was a British composer, record producer and musician. In the late 1960s, Lancaster co-founded the British rock group Blodwyn Pig with Jethro Tull (band), Jethro Tull guitarist Mick Abrahams and in the late 1970s he was a member o ...

, a former Blodwyn Pig bandmate. They later released two LPs: ''Aviator'' (1979), and ''Turbulence'' (1980). Bunker's released a solo album, ''Awakening'', in 1998.

Discography

Solo

* ''Awakening'' (1998) – With Ian Anderson and Martin Barre

With Jethro Tull

* '' This Was'' (1968) *'' Stand Up'' (1969) *'' Benefit'' (1970) *'' Aqualung'' (1971) *'' Living in the Past'' (1972)

With Steve Howe

* ''The Steve Howe Album'' – Plays percussions on ''Cactus Boogie''

With Generation X

* ''Valley of the dolls'' – Guest musician

With Aviator

* ''

'' (1979) * ''

Turbulence In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is fluid motion characterized by chaotic changes in pressure and flow velocity. It is in contrast to laminar flow, which occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers with no disruption between ...

'' (1980)

Steve Hillage

* 1976: BBC Old Grey Whistle Test 2/11/76 "Hurdy Gurdy Glissando". * 1979: ''Live Herald'': He played drums on the tracks "Salmon Song", "The Dervish Riff", "Castles In The Clouds" and "Hurdy Gurdy Man" These tracks were recorded on the gig which was played on 26 March 1977 in the Rainbow Theatre London. * 2007: ''Green'': On the 2007 reedited version, Clive plays drums on one song recorded live at The Rainbow in 1977 : ''"Not Fade Away (Glid Forever)''.

With Electric Sun Uli Jon Roth

* '' Beyond the Astral Skies'' (1985)

With Blodwyn Pig

* ''Lies'' (1994) * ''Pig in the Middle'' (1996) * ''Live At The Lafayette'' (1997) * ''The Basement Tapes'' (2000) * ''Live At The Marquee Club London 1974'' (2002) * ''All Said And Done'' (2011) * ''Pigthology'' (2013)

With Manfred Mann's Earth Band

* '' Soft Vengeance'' (1996)

With Solstice

* ''Circles'' (1997) * ''The Cropredy Set'' (2002)

With Beggar's Farm

* ''Diving in the Past'' (2005) – With ex- PFM and Acqua Fragile Italian singer Bernardo Lanzetti on vocals. * ''Itullians'' (2007) – With ex-Jethro Tull members Mick Abrahams on guitar, Jonathan Noyce on bass and Bernardo Lanzetti on vocals.

With Gordon Giltrap

* Airwaves (1982) PVK Records – GIL 2

References

External links

* Clive Bunker biography at Allmusic*
Clive Bunker on Manfred Mann's Earth Band

Clive Bunker on www.collecting-tull.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bunker, Clive 1946 births Living people English rock drummers Jethro Tull (band) members Manfred Mann's Earth Band members Musicians from Luton Progressive rock drummers