Inductee Clem Burke Comes to the Rock Hall for Special Hall of Fame Edition of “From Songwriters to Soundmen: The People Behind the Hits”

Blondie drummer to talk about career

News release: 05 October 2006

CLEVELAND (October 4, 2006) — The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum presents “From Songwriters to Soundmen: The People Behind the Hits,” a program that gives Rock Hall audiences an inside look at aspects of the music business that are often concealed from view. The series is held on the third Wednesday of every month.

Blondie drummer and Hall of Fame Inductee Clem Burke
Wednesday, October 18, 7:00 p.m., 4th Floor Theater:
Clem Burke was a co-founding member of the group Blondie along with Chris Stein and Debbie Harry. Burke remained with the band throughout the first stage of their career and was instrumental in the late 1990s reunion. Blondie recorded such hits as “Heart of Glass,” “Call Me,” “The Tide is High” and “Rapture.”

During the 1980s and 1990s, when Blondie was disbanded, Burke played drums with an impressive list of musicians, including: The Romantics, Pete Townshend, Bob Dylan, The Eurythmics, Iggy Pop, Joan Jett, Wanda Jackson, Johnny Thunders, and even stood in as drummer for The Ramones (under the name Elvis Ramone). Burke’s time with the Eurythmics included recording three albums with them, including the Grammy winning hit “Missionary Man.”

During Blondie’s early touring days Burke met guitarist Steve Jones and in the mid 1980s the formed Chequered Past, a band that also included Nigel Harrison (ex-Blondie member) and Michael Des Barre.

In 2004 and 2005 Burke recorded and toured with Nancy Sinatra and in early 2006 he was featured on Kathy Valentine's (The Go-Go's) debut solo CD, Light Years. Fall of 2006 also brought a three-month residency for Burke at the Vine Street Lounge in Hollywood with a new band called Hard Again that included Coz Canler (Romantics), Eddie Munoz (Plimsouls), Bruce Witkin and Rhett Frazier.

Clem Burke was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Blondie in 2006.

The program will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Museum's 4th Floor Theater. The event is free with a reservation. Please email edu@rockhall.org to RSVP. If you do not have access to email, please call 216.515.8426.

About "From Songwriters to Soundmen: The People Behind the Hits"
From label executives to producers to guitar techs, the music industry is populated with remarkable characters who have equally remarkable stories to tell. If many of us know a whole lot about the stars, too few among us know about those who work alongside the stars, who discover stars, who direct the careers of stars, who produce their songs. The Songwriters to Soundmen program is one of a series of educational programs established by the Rock Hall to tell the story of the social and cultural significance of rock and roll music.

About the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is the nonprofit organization that exists to educate visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music.

It carries out this mission both through its operation of a world-class museum that collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets this art form and through its library and archives as well as its educational programs.

The Museum is open seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On Wednesdays the Museum is open until 9:00 p.m. Museum admission is $20.00 for adults, $14.00 for seniors (60+), $11 for children (9-12) and children under 8 and Museum members are free.