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Alan Clayson

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Alan Clayson(born 3 May 1951,Dover,Kent)[1]is an English singer-songwriter, author and music journalist. He gained popularity in the late 1970s as leader of the band Clayson and the Argonauts.[2]In addition to contributing to publications such asRecord Collector,MojoandFolk Roots,he subsequently established himself as a prolific writer of music biographies.[3]Among his many books areBackbeat,which detailsthe Beatles' early career in Germany,Ringo Starr: Straight Man or Joker?,and biographies ofJacques Brel,the Yardbirds,Serge GainsbourgandEdgard Varèse.Clayson has also contributed toThe Guardian,The Sunday Times,The IndependentandRock 'n' Reel.

Career[edit]

As a musician[edit]

According to Clayson, his first band was Ace and the Crescents, which he formed in the mid-1960s with fellow students from "a truly desperate grammar school for boys near Aldershot [inHampshire] ".[4]He recalls visitingthe Beatles'Apple Corpsheadquarters in 1968, in an unsuccessful attempt to have Apple publish his poetry.[5]Inspired in part byFrank Zappa's work as an artist and performer, he formed Clayson and the Argonauts in the late 1970s.[4]The band received some highly favourable reviews in the UK music press, attaining whatMelody Makertermed "a premier position on rock's Lunatic Fringe",[6]yet only achieved minor commercial success in Northern Europe.[4]

Following the disbandment of the Argonauts in 1986,[7]Clayson continued as a recording artist and solo performer.The Village Voicedescribed his act as "more than just a performance; an experience".[6]Since 2011, he has presented a show titled Clayson Sings Chanson.[citation needed]

Clayson's songs have been covered byDave Berry(in whose backing group Clayson playedkeyboardsin the mid-1980s),StairwayandJane Relf.[4]He has also worked with thePortsmouth Sinfonia,Wreckless Eric,Jim McCarty,Dick TaylorandScreaming Lord Sutch,among others.[6]

In 2005, Clayson and the Argonauts re-formed. In 2017, they released the albumThis Cannot Go On...[citation needed]Ancient And Modern: Highlights Of Half-A-Century,a CD retrospective attributed to Clayson alone, was issued in 2024.

As journalist and author[edit]

Having contributed toSchoolkids OZduring his adolescence, Clayson went on to write regularly for a wide range of publications, includingRecord Collector,Mojo,The Guardian,The Independent,Folk RootsandMediaeval World.[6]His work has also appeared inHello!,The Sunday Times,The Daily TelegraphandUgly Things.

As apop musichistorian, Clayson has written over thirty books.[4]The English newspaperWestern Morning Newsonce labelled him "the AJP Taylor of pop", with reference to thehistorian of twentieth-century European politics.[6]Clayson's bestsellers includeBackbeat(subsequently made intoa filmby directorIain Softley);[6]Beat Merchants;and an authorised biography ofthe Yardbirds.

In addition toBackbeat,he has written books on each of the four Beatles,[8]beginning with the 1990 publication ofThe Quiet One: A Life of George Harrison.[9]The four titles were re-released as a box set in 2003 by Sanctuary Publishing.[10]Clayson's volume onRingo Starr,subtitledStraight Man or Joker?,remains a rare work dedicated to the drummer's career.[11]In his overview of the most popular Beatles books, forRough Guides,Chris Ingham writes that the four volumes "have been described as Beatles-flavoured teabags in a cup full of Clayson", due to the author's tendency to refer to his own musical career and insert his "harmless prejudices" in the narrative. Ingham concedes, however, that "as a second-generation veteran of the British beat scene, [Clayson's] point of view usually contains a certain authenticity and authority."[11]

Clayson has also written English-language studies of the French singer and actorSerge Gainsbourg,[12]French composerEdgard Varèse[13]and Belgian chansonnierJacques Brel.His other subjects includeLed Zeppelin,Mick Jagger,Brian Jones,Charlie Watts,Keith Richards,Keith Moon,Roy Orbison,Yoko Onoandthe Troggs.[14]

Aside from his writing on popular music, Clayson has presented radio programs and lectured on music in Britain and the United States.[6]He has also contributedliner notesand commentary to CD and DVD releases by artists such asElvis Presley,the Rolling Stones,Édith Piaf,Peter Frampton,Matt Monro,Buddy Holly,Jimi Hendrix,Steve Harley,the AnimalsandMungo Jerry.[15]

References[edit]

  1. ^Dover Express staff (30 August 2012)."Dover musician writes tribute to home town".Dover Express.Archived fromthe originalon 5 May 2013.Retrieved3 January2016.
  2. ^Fort, Hugh (16 July 2010)."Clayson and the Argonauts return for reunion concert".GetSurrey.co.uk.Retrieved5 September2012.
  3. ^Fornatale, Peter; Corbett, Bernard M. (2013).50 Licks: Myths and Stories from Half a Century of the Rolling Stones.New York, NY: Bloomsbury. p.265.ISBN978-1-60819-921-1.
  4. ^abcdeHamilton, Stuart A. (2005)."Feature: Alan Clayson".getreadytorock.Retrieved2 January2016.
  5. ^Clayson, Alan (2003).George Harrison.London: Sanctuary. p. 236.ISBN1-86074-489-3.
  6. ^abcdefg"About the Author" in:Clayson, Alan (2003).Ringo Starr.London: Sanctuary. p. vii.ISBN1-86074-488-5.
  7. ^Clayson, Alan."Alan Clayson and The Argonauts".Damaged Goods Records.Retrieved2 January2016.
  8. ^Mojo: The Beatles' Final Years Special Edition.London: Emap. 2003. p. 7.
  9. ^Inglis, Ian (2010).The Words and Music of George Harrison.Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger. p. 173.ISBN978-0-313-37532-3.
  10. ^"The Beatles Box by Alan Clayson".goodreads.Retrieved2 January2016.
  11. ^abIngham, Chris (2006).The Rough Guide to the Beatles(2nd edn).London: Rough Guides/Penguin. p. 281.ISBN978-1-84836-525-4.
  12. ^Allen, Jeremy (1 December 2013)."Tome on the Range: Reverential Whispers: Darran Anderson'sHistoire De Melody Nelson".The Quietus.Retrieved2 January2016.
  13. ^Fox, Dan (March 2003)."Dan Fox on Alan Clayson's biography of Edgard Varèse".Frieze.Archived fromthe originalon 7 December 2015.Retrieved2 January2016.
  14. ^"Books by Alan Clayson".goodreads.Retrieved2 January2016.
  15. ^"Alan Clayson: Credits".AllMusic.Retrieved2 January2016.

External links[edit]

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