Andy Clark (musician)

Infobox musical artist

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Name = Andy Clark
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Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
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Origin = England
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Years_active = 1960s - present
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Andrew (Andy) Clark is an English rock composer and performer who is best known for his work on keyboards and synthesizer in the 1970s. Clark played and recorded with Jeff Beck (Upp) and Bill Nelson (Be-Bop Deluxe, Red Noise) and appeared on the David Bowie album, "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)". He also worked for several years in Los Angeles, California as a session musician and has credits on records by artists including Judie Tzuke and Toyah.

Clark first came to prominence as a founder member with guitarist Mick Hutchinson of the late 1960s instrumental duo (later four-piece) Clark Hutchinson, both of them having previously played in the underground band, Sam Gopal Dream. Clark Hutchinson recorded four albums between 1969 and 1971, the most successful being "A=MH²".

After working in Los Angeles, Clark returned to Europe. He wrote and played the music for the seven-part 1983 UK television drama "No Excuses" which featured Charlotte Cornwell who had previously starred in the lighter-hearted "Rock Follies". The screenplay by Barrie Keeffe was the fictional story of a self-destructive female rock star having to face the fact that time moves on and her career is in decline.

The story-line demanded music and songs in a range of genres mirroring the main character's career moves over two decades. However, unlike "Rock Follies" which was entertaining and commercially successful, the story did not glamorise female rock stars or the music industry. Neither the TV series itself nor later the novelisation and soundtrack release had great popular success and the project did little to boost Clark's career or finances. By this time he was living in near-poverty and struggling with drug addiction and unpaid taxes.

After discovering Nichiren Buddhism some years later, his life stabilised but his musical career remained low-key. During the 1990s he recorded with Sam Gopal on "Father Mucker" (1999).

External links

* [http://www.beefheart.com/zine/articles/0110clarkhutchinson.htm Captain Beefheart Radar Station]
* [http://www.samgopal.com/vita.html Sam Gopal fan site]
* [http://www.myspace.com/clarkhutchinson Myspace - Clark Hutchinson]
* [http://www.myspace.com/mickhutchinson Myspace - Mick Hutchinson]