Richard Clapton

Infobox musical artist
Name = Richard Clapton

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Background = solo_singer
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Born = 1951(?)
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Origin = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Instrument = Singing, guitar
Voice_type =
Genre = Rock and roll
Occupation = Singer, songwriter, producer
Years_active = late 1960s—present
Label = Festival
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URL = [http://www.richardclapton.com/ Official site]
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Richard Clapton (born in 1951(?)) is an Australian singer/songwriter. Although not well-known outside Australia, a number of his songs such as "Girls on the Avenue", "Capricorn Dancer", "Deep Water", "Lucky Country", "The Best Years of Our Lives", and "I am an Island" are staples of FM radio playlists in Australia.

Life and career

Clapton's date of birth is somewhat elusive, but in an interview with the Melbourne Age in 2002, he described himself as 50-something. [cite web |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/06/01/1022569845126.html |title=Clapton clapped out|publisher=The Age |last=McFadyen |first=Wayne|date2002-06-01 |accessdate=2008-07-15] In this article in Who magazine, his birthdate is given as 1951. [http://www.richardclapton.net/articles.html] .

He took up guitar while training as a commercial artist and adopted his stage name as a tribute to his guitar heroes Keith Richards and Eric Clapton. [cite web|url=http://books.google.com.au/books?id=ELACebeQEgcC&pg=PA54&lpg=PA54&dq=%22richard+clapton%22+%22terry+gonk%22&source=web&ots=aavQLgx3YV&sig=y4W1_AaZksoJ_Ady_nQ7_UylNeQ&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result |title=The Dictionary of Performing Arts in Australia: Theatre, Film, Television, Radio |publisher=Allen & Unwin |last=Atkinson |first=Ann |date=1996 |accessdate=2008-07-15] In 1967 he visited London and was soon playing with bands in both the United Kingdom and Germany. He returned to Australia in 1972.

The early 1970s are often regarded as a stagnant time for Australian rock music. In this context, the emergence of Richard Clapton as a talented and ambitious songwriter in the "troubadour" tradition of, for instance, Neil Young and Jackson Browne (both of whom later expressed their admiration for Clapton [http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A3CV8RYW8VM3HBexample.com] ) was refreshing. Although no hit singles were on his first album, "Prussian Blue" (1973), by the time of his second album, "Girls on the Avenue" (1975), Clapton enjoyed reasonable mainstream success, with the title song from the album reaching the #2 spot on the Australian top 40 charts. In 1976 he contributed to the film soundtrack for "Highway One", spawning the hit single "Capricorn Dancer", which remains a concert staple.

At the time of its release, "Goodbye Tiger" (1977) was one of the most critically acclaimed albums an Australian artist had released. It was produced by Richard Batchens, who was one of the most prominent and successful producers of the era.(See articles collected on the fan site linked below for confirmation of this). Many Clapton fans continue to regard this notably melancholic record as his masterpiece. In 1979 he to travelled to Los Angeles to record his fifth studio album "Hearts On The Nightline". The album failed to attract international attention, and Clapton returned to Sydney in 1980 and recorded the critically acclaimed "Dark Spaces".

The 1980s saw Clapton play less of a central role in the music industry, although 1982's "The Great Escape" (featuring contributions from members of Cold Chisel and INXS) sold strongly and contained memorable singles in the hard-rock "I Am an Island" (which featured Cold Chisel members Ian Moss on guitar and Jimmy Barnes on backing vocals) and "The Best Years of Our Lives". During the early 1980s, he was acknowledged as a mentor to several bands emerging from the then-vigorous pub rock scene, in particular INXS whose second LP, "Underneath the Colours" he produced.

On a 2006 album, "Rewired", recorded at his home studio, Clapton produced "unplugged" acoustic versions of his early songs. This album contains many early Clapton songs that have been reworked to fit in with the acoustic feel of the album.

Clapton appeared in the Countdown Spectacular 2 concert series in Australia between late-August and early-September 2007. He sang three songs as part of the show, including the crowd favourite "Girls on the Avenue". He later headlined the 2008 Australia Day concert held at Parliament House, Canberra.

To celebrate 35 years of performing, Richard Clapton held a one off concert at the State Theatre in Sydney on June 28, 2008. The event was sold out in days and featured a star studded line up of Australian musicians who have played with him over the years.

Discography

Albums

*"Prussian Blue" (1973)
*"Girls on the Avenue" (1975)
*"Main Street Jive" (1976)
*"Goodbye Tiger" (1977)
*"Past Hits and Previews" (1978)
*"Hearts on the Nightline" (1979)
*"Dark Spaces" (1980)
*"The Great Escape" (1982)
*"Solidarity" (1984)
*"Glory Road" (1987)
*"The Best Years of Our Lives" (Live, 1989)
*"Distant Thunder" (1993)
*"Angeltown" (1996)
*"Diamond Mine" (2004)
*"Rewired" (2006)

References

* "The Dictionary of Performing Arts in Australia" — Ann Atkinson, Linsay Knight, Margaret McPhee — Allen & Unwin Pty. Ltd., 1996

External links

* [http://www.richardclapton.com/ Richard Clapton - Official site]
* [http://www.richardclapton.net/ Fan site]