Joe Clay
Joe Clay (born September 9, 1938 as Clayborne Joseph Cheramie in Harvey, Louisiana , † September 26, 2016 ) was an American rockabilly singer who became famous in the 1980s through the rockabilly revival.
Life
Raised in Harvey , Louisiana , Joe Clay played in a country band at the age of 12 . He made his first public appearance with his band on the radio station WWWE. With the label Vik Records he finally got a record deal, his first release in 1956, Duck Tail and Sixteen Chicks written by Rudy Grayzell , as well as the following singles went unnoticed. Even an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show could not bring the desired breakthrough, instead Clay played as an accompanist for Elvis Presley . For the next 30 years he played in New Orleans ' bars in the evenings and worked as a bus driver during the day. During the Rockabilly Revival in the 1980s, Clay achieved undreamt-of fame in Europe through various re-releases . Willie Jeffrey eventually persuaded him to go on a tour.
Joe Clay was musically active until shortly before his death and still performed regularly.
Discography
| year | Title A | Title B | Record company |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Duck tail | Sixteen Chicks | Vik Records |
| 1956 | Get On The Right Track | Cracker Jack | Vik Records |
| 1962 | Can't Get You Out Of My Mind | Don't know what to do | Samter Records |
| 1963 | Love you | My Heart Loves Only You | Samter Records |
| 1963 | I get so blue | Little darlin ' | Samter Records |
| 2016 |
|
|
El Toro Records |
| Be-bop-boogie-bop | Rock Little | Mac Records | |
| Unpublished titles | |||
|
Vik Records (not originally released)
Tracks 2–5 have now appeared on Wildcat Records |
||
Web links
- Bio on Answers.com
- Discography with audio samples
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Clay, Joe |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Cheramie, Clayborne Joseph (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American rockabilly singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 9, 1938 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Harvey , Louisiana |
| DATE OF DEATH | 26th September 2016 |