Tony Clarkin
Encyclopedia
Tony Clarkin is a British
musician
, best known as the guitarist of the rock band Magnum
. He has been the primary songwriter throughout Magnum's
history, writing all of the material on their 16 studio albums
.
and guitarist
/songwriter
Tony Clarkin remain today.
Magnum began as the house band
at Birmingham
’s famous Rum Runner
night club (later the home of Duran Duran
). They began to develop their own style by playing Clarkin's songs at a residency at The Railway Inn, in Birmingham's Curzon Street, in 1976. Joining Clarkin and Catley were drummer Kex Gorin
and bassist Dave Morgan
(later a member of ELO
). Their most notable success during these early years was the Jeff Glixman
produced Chase The Dragon
(1982) which reached #17 in the UK, and included several songs that would be mainstays of the bands live set, notably "Soldier Of The Line", "Sacred Hour" and "The Spirit".
It wasn't until the band came in to association with manager Keith Baker, their breakthrough album came in 1985 with On A Storyteller's Night
which featured the single "Just Like An Arrow". This success continued in the following years when Keith introduced the band to Queen drummer Roger Taylor. Roger Taylor
produced Vigilante
in 1986, the top 5 album Wings Of Heaven
in 1988, and the Keith Olsen
produced Goodnight L.A.
reaching #9 in the UK album charts in 1990.
In the summer of 1995 Clarkin announced the band were to split following a farewell tour of the UK and Europe.
, and they released the albums Hard Rain
and When The Good Times Come
. It was around this time that Catley launched a solo career using various songwriters, including Gary Hughes
of the band Ten
. However, Hard Rain found gigs and booking hard to come by, and there were discussions about renaming the band as Magnum. Also, at this time, Catley was becoming increasingly focused on his solo career, and he quit Hard Rain, marking the end of a working relationship with Clarkin that dated back to 1972. After a quiet period Clarkin announced the end of Hard Rain.
Clarkin comments: "The break since the middle of the Nineties was definitely necessary for me. Since the end of the Seventies, in fact since we embarked on the preparations for our debut recording Kingdom Of Madness
, not a single month had gone by in which I didn't work for Magnum, composed for the group, or at least thought of them permanently. For almost twenty years, all my thoughts had revolved around the band. I needed a break to clear my head and to be able to devote myself to the band again with renewed energy." — Tony Clarkin, 2002
. They were again joined by Stanway, with former Hard Rain bassist Al Barrow
and former-Thunder
drummer Harry James
. This was subsequently followed by Brand New Morning
in 2004.
Magnum completed work on a new studio album, Princess Alice And The Broken Arrow
released on 26 March 2007, that also marked the return of cover artwork by Rodney Matthews
. The album entered the UK Album Charts at #70, the first time Magnum have charted in the UK since 1994. It also reached #4 on the BBC Rock Album Charts and #60 in Germany, the bands biggest market outside of the UK along with Scandinavia.
After Bob Catley left Hard Rain, Clarkin continued to write material with Sue McCloskey. Some of these songs were broadcast on Radio during an interview with Clarkin. Two of these songs surfaced as Magnum songs, "Still" and "Dream About You" on Magnum's Breath Of Life.
Clarkin played guitar on a Rodney Matthews
/Rudi Dobson side project called The House On The Rock.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, best known as the guitarist of the rock band Magnum
Magnum (band)
Magnum are a British progressive rock band from Birmingham, England. Formed as a four piece by Tony Clarkin , Bob Catley , Kex Gorin and Bob Doyle in order to appear as the resident band at The Rum Runner night club Birmingham...
. He has been the primary songwriter throughout Magnum's
Magnum (band)
Magnum are a British progressive rock band from Birmingham, England. Formed as a four piece by Tony Clarkin , Bob Catley , Kex Gorin and Bob Doyle in order to appear as the resident band at The Rum Runner night club Birmingham...
history, writing all of the material on their 16 studio albums
Magnum discography
-Studio albums:-Live albums:-Compilations and box sets:There have also been many other compilations across various labels.-Singles and EPs:-Videos and DVDs:...
.
Biography
Clarkin grew up in the Shard End area of Birmingham which spawned a number of bands tagged with the 'Brum Beat' label. Leaving school to train as a Ladies hairdresser he soon quit to join his first band The Boulevards with former school friends.Magnum (1972–1995)
Formed in 1972, Magnum have undergone several changes in personnel over the years, however the core of vocalist Bob CatleyBob Catley
For the Australian politician, see Bob Catley Robert Adrian 'Bob' Catley is a British musician, perhaps best known as the lead singer of the rock band Magnum. He is also an accomplished solo artist.- Early years :...
and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
/songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
Tony Clarkin remain today.
Magnum began as the house band
House band
For the British band that existed from 1984-2001, see The House BandA house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to...
at Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
’s famous Rum Runner
Rum Runner (nightclub)
The Rum Runner nightclub was opened on Broad Street, Birmingham in the city centre in 1964. It was demolished in 1987 to make way for the Hyatt Hotel....
night club (later the home of Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
). They began to develop their own style by playing Clarkin's songs at a residency at The Railway Inn, in Birmingham's Curzon Street, in 1976. Joining Clarkin and Catley were drummer Kex Gorin
Kex Gorin
Kex Gorin , was a British drummer. He was the original drummer for Magnum and played on the bands first four studio albums and one live album...
and bassist Dave Morgan
Dave Morgan (musician)
David 'Dave' Morgan is an English songwriter and musician.-Career:He was a member of well-regarded Birmingham 60's group The Uglys with Steve Gibbons between 1967 and 1969, where Morgan was the bassist and vocalist...
(later a member of ELO
Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
). Their most notable success during these early years was the Jeff Glixman
Jeff Glixman
Jeff Glixman is an American record producer. He has produced, mixed or remastered artists such as Kansas, Gary Moore, Yngwie Malmsteen, the Georgia Satellites and Black Sabbath...
produced Chase The Dragon
Chase the Dragon
- Cover Sleeve :The cover art was designed by Rodney Matthews."My original brief for Magnum's 'Chase the Dragon' album cover was given by Tony Clarkin, founder member of the band, who writes all the music and lyrics. In the first instance the record was to have been called 'The Spirit' and my rough...
(1982) which reached #17 in the UK, and included several songs that would be mainstays of the bands live set, notably "Soldier Of The Line", "Sacred Hour" and "The Spirit".
It wasn't until the band came in to association with manager Keith Baker, their breakthrough album came in 1985 with On A Storyteller's Night
On A Storyteller's Night
On a Storyteller's Night is the fifth studio album by British melodic rock band Magnum, released in 1985 on FM Records. The album is widely considered as Magnum's breakthrough album. This album features one of the Tony Clarkin's most thoughtful songs, "Les Morts Dansant" — a simple song in that...
which featured the single "Just Like An Arrow". This success continued in the following years when Keith introduced the band to Queen drummer Roger Taylor. Roger Taylor
Roger Meddows-Taylor
Roger Meddows Taylor , known as Roger Taylor, is a British musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the drummer, backing vocalist and occasional lead vocalist of British rock band Queen. As a drummer he is known for his "big" unique sound and is considered one of...
produced Vigilante
Vigilante (album)
Vigilante is the sixth studio album by British melodic rock band Magnum, released in 1986 on Polydor.Capitalising on the success of On a Storyteller's Night, Magnum change to a more commercial direction with their 1986 album Vigilante...
in 1986, the top 5 album Wings Of Heaven
Wings of Heaven
-Singles:Days of No Trust 7" #"Days of No Trust" [Edit] — 3:46#"Maybe Tonight" [B-Side] — 4:39Days of No Trust 12" #"Days of No Trust" [Edit] — 3:46#"Maybe Tonight" [B-Side] — 4:39#"The Spirit" [Live] — 0:00...
in 1988, and the Keith Olsen
Keith Olsen
Keith Olsen is one of the most prolific and successful music producers in the industry.-Career:With over 120 albums produced netting a 1 in 4 Gold or better ratio, of which more than 24 are Platinum or better, and more than 14 are multi-Platinum, sales from Keith Olsen’s work exceeds 110 million...
produced Goodnight L.A.
Goodnight L.A.
-Singles:Rockin' Chair 7" #"Rockin' Chair" [LP Version] — 4:10#"Mama" [LP Version] — 4:34Rockin' Chair 12" #"Rockin' Chair" [LP Version] — 4:10...
reaching #9 in the UK album charts in 1990.
In the summer of 1995 Clarkin announced the band were to split following a farewell tour of the UK and Europe.
Hard Rain (1995–2001)
After Magnum split, a spin off group featuring Catley and Clarkin was formed called Hard RainHard Rain (band)
Hard Rain are a British Melodic Rock band from Birmingham, England. Formed in 1996, following the demise of Magnum. The core of the band are vocalist Bob Catley and guitarist/songwriter Tony Clarkin....
, and they released the albums Hard Rain
Hard Rain (Hard Rain album)
Hard Rain is the debut studio album by British melodic rock band Hard Rain. It was released in 1996 on German record label Semaphore GmbH....
and When The Good Times Come
When the Good Times Come (Hard Rain album)
When The Good Times Come is the second studio album by British melodic rock band Hard Rain. It was released in 1999 on Eagle Records.-Track listing:All Tracks written by Tony Clarkin.#"Eat It Up"#"Who You Gonna Trust"#"Rock Me In Ya Cradle"...
. It was around this time that Catley launched a solo career using various songwriters, including Gary Hughes
Gary Hughes
Gary Hughes is an English hard rock singer, songwriter and musician. Apart from his work as a solo artist, Gary Hughes is the front man and main songwriter of Hard Rock/Melodic Rock band Ten...
of the band Ten
Ten (band)
Ten is a British hard rock/melodic rock band which was formed in 1995 by vocalist/songwriter Gary Hughes and guitarist Vinny Burns.-Formation :...
. However, Hard Rain found gigs and booking hard to come by, and there were discussions about renaming the band as Magnum. Also, at this time, Catley was becoming increasingly focused on his solo career, and he quit Hard Rain, marking the end of a working relationship with Clarkin that dated back to 1972. After a quiet period Clarkin announced the end of Hard Rain.
Clarkin comments: "The break since the middle of the Nineties was definitely necessary for me. Since the end of the Seventies, in fact since we embarked on the preparations for our debut recording Kingdom Of Madness
Kingdom of Madness (Magnum album)
Kingdom of Madness is the debut studio album by British melodic rock band Magnum. It was recorded in 1976, and was released in 1978 by Jet Records....
, not a single month had gone by in which I didn't work for Magnum, composed for the group, or at least thought of them permanently. For almost twenty years, all my thoughts had revolved around the band. I needed a break to clear my head and to be able to devote myself to the band again with renewed energy." — Tony Clarkin, 2002
Magnum reunion (2001–present)
Eventually, Clarkin and Catley re-launched Magnum with the album Breath Of Life in 2002 on SPVSPV GmbH
SPV GmbH is an independent German record label.Founded on January 1, 1984, it has slowly grown to be one of the largest independent distributors and record labels worldwide....
. They were again joined by Stanway, with former Hard Rain bassist Al Barrow
Al Barrow
Al Barrow is the bassist of the British band Magnum.Barrow joined Magnum in 2001 after he was a member of Hard Rain, a group formed by Magnum members, Bob Catley and Tony Clarkin, while activities around Magnum was set on pause. Officially the band was split, but made a comeback in 2001 with their...
and former-Thunder
Thunder (band)
Thunder were an English hard rock band, who originally formed in 1989 when the band Terraplane broke up, leaving lead singer Danny Bowes and guitarist/main songwriter Luke Morley to form a new group, namely Thunder...
drummer Harry James
Gary James
Gary Milton James, popularly known as 'Harry' James is the drummer for themelodic rock band Magnum,although he is best known as the drummer for the now defunct hard rock band Thunder....
. This was subsequently followed by Brand New Morning
Brand New Morning (Magnum album)
- Personnel :* Tony Clarkin — Guitar* Bob Catley — Vocals* Al Barrow — Bass* Mark Stanway — Keyboards* Harry James — Drums- External links :* — Official Magnum site...
in 2004.
Magnum completed work on a new studio album, Princess Alice And The Broken Arrow
Princess Alice and the Broken Arrow
-Singles:Like Brothers We Stand Digital # "Like Brothers We Stand" [Radio Edit] — 3:31# "Your Lies" [LP Version] — 4:32-Cover Sleeve:The cover art was designed by Rodney Matthews....
released on 26 March 2007, that also marked the return of cover artwork by Rodney Matthews
Rodney Matthews
Rodney Matthews is a fantasy artist and illustrator.In 1978, he published Yendor: The Journey of a Junior Adventurer, a hard-back picture book featuring his distinctive paintings of "The Wild Country", a fantasy world seen through the eyes of young Yendor, named after his son...
. The album entered the UK Album Charts at #70, the first time Magnum have charted in the UK since 1994. It also reached #4 on the BBC Rock Album Charts and #60 in Germany, the bands biggest market outside of the UK along with Scandinavia.
Other projects
In 1981 two tracks were written and produced by Clarkin and were sung by Sue McCloskey, a friend of Magnum. They were entitled "Really Need Your Love" and "Lost Inside Myself".After Bob Catley left Hard Rain, Clarkin continued to write material with Sue McCloskey. Some of these songs were broadcast on Radio during an interview with Clarkin. Two of these songs surfaced as Magnum songs, "Still" and "Dream About You" on Magnum's Breath Of Life.
Clarkin played guitar on a Rodney Matthews
Rodney Matthews
Rodney Matthews is a fantasy artist and illustrator.In 1978, he published Yendor: The Journey of a Junior Adventurer, a hard-back picture book featuring his distinctive paintings of "The Wild Country", a fantasy world seen through the eyes of young Yendor, named after his son...
/Rudi Dobson side project called The House On The Rock.
Hard Rain
- Hard RainHard Rain (Hard Rain album)Hard Rain is the debut studio album by British melodic rock band Hard Rain. It was released in 1996 on German record label Semaphore GmbH....
(1997) - When The Good Times ComeWhen the Good Times Come (Hard Rain album)When The Good Times Come is the second studio album by British melodic rock band Hard Rain. It was released in 1999 on Eagle Records.-Track listing:All Tracks written by Tony Clarkin.#"Eat It Up"#"Who You Gonna Trust"#"Rock Me In Ya Cradle"...
(1999)