James Patrick Clench (May 1, 1949 – November 3, 2010) was a Canadian bassist, vocalist and songwriter known for his roles in the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

bands

April Wine April Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969 and based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia, led by singer-guitarist-songwriter Myles Goodwyn until his death in 2023. April Wine first experienced success with their second album, ' ...

and

Bachman–Turner Overdrive Bachman–Turner Overdrive, often abbreviated BTO, is a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, founded by three brothers: Randy Bachman, Randy, Robbie Bachman, Robbie, and Tim Bachman; along with Fred Turner (musician), Fred Turner, in 19 ...

With April Wine (first run)

Clench was asked to join

after their original bassist Jim Henman decided to leave the band in October 1971. Although Myles Goodwyn was April Wine's primary lead singer, Clench was lead vocalist on songs such as the hit singles "Oowatanite" (which he also wrote) and "Weeping Widow". In 1975, after recording three studio albums and one live, Clench decided to leave April Wine and was replaced by former Mashmakhan bassist

Steve Lang Stephen Keith Lang (March 24, 1949 – February 4, 2017) was a Canadian bassist best known for his time and work with the rock band April Wine from 1976 to 1984 during the band's most successful years. Early life Lang was born in Montreal, Qu ...

. Early April Wine albums recorded with Clench include; '' On Record'' (1972), '' Electric Jewels'' (1973), '' Live!'' (1974), and '' Stand Back'' (1975), which was released just before he left the band.

With Bachman–Turner Overdrive

In 1978, Clench was asked to join

to replace

Randy Bachman Randolph Charles Bachman ( ; born September 27, 1943) is a Canadian guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a founding member of the bands The Guess Who and Bachman–Turner Overdrive. He was the writer and singer of several hit rock songs, ...

, who decided to start a solo career. Clench was with BTO until its first breakup in 1979, appearing on the albums '' Street Action'' (1978) and '' Rock n' Roll Nights'' (1979). In addition to playing bass, Clench shared lead vocal duties with Fred Turner and wrote multiple songs for these two albums. Shortly afterwards, Clench also appeared as a guest musician on

Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born November 5, 1959) is a British and Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and photographer. He is estimated to have sold between 75 million and more than 100 million album, records and Single (music), si ...

's 1980 debut album. In 1980, Clench formed and toured with his own group, 451 Degrees. They released one album in Canada only. A video of their hit song, "Don't Walk", is available on YouTube. Clench also appeared in

Loverboy Loverboy is a Canadian Rock music, rock band formed in Calgary, Alberta in 1979. Loverboy's hit singles, particularly "Turn Me Loose (Loverboy song), Turn Me Loose" and "Working for the Weekend", have become arena rock staples and are still hear ...

, who made their live debut opening for

Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, B.C., on November 19, 1979. Shortly after this show, Clench was replaced by Scott Smith.

With April Wine (second run)

In 1992, April Wine reformed and Clench accepted an invitation to rejoin. He then took part in four more studio albums recorded after the reformation. Those albums include; ''

Attitude Attitude or Attitude may refer to: Philosophy and psychology * Attitude (psychology), a disposition or state of mind ** Attitude change * Propositional attitude, a mental state held towards a proposition Science and technology * Orientation ...

'' (1993), ''

Frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

'' (1994), '' Back to the Mansion'' (2001), and '' Roughly Speaking'' (2006). Clench also appears on April Wine's '' Greatest Hits Live 2003''. In late 2006, Clench once again left April Wine, and was replaced by former

Brutus Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC) was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, which was reta ...

/ Offenbach bassist Breen LeBoeuf at the beginning of 2007.

Death

On November 3, 2010, Clench died in a

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

hospital after battling stage 4

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clench, Jim April Wine members Bachman–Turner Overdrive members Canadian rock bass guitarists 1949 births 2010 deaths Deaths from lung cancer in Canada Deaths from cancer in Quebec 20th-century Canadian bass guitarists