William Clarke on Bro Matt's Bluez Shift (4of5)

Blues harmonica legend, William Clarke (1951--1996) is Brother Matt's guest on this 1985 edition of The Bluez Shift (4of5). The William Clarke band is: Jeri Monti, drums; Willie Brinlee, bass; Joel Foy & *Steve Samuels, guitars.

It was an honor to have Bill as my guest. I'd been going to the Starboard Attitude on the Redondo Beach Pier to see him for years ... for FREE!

Here's a funny little history behind this episode of The Bluez Shift: The public access studio undeniably had crappy gear, mostly broken & salvaged equipment. It's amazing Dave Hammers, the Director & Jury-Rig Wizard, somehow got the stuff to work & that we produced any shows at all. Bill & I watched a few minutes of playback on a funky monitor ... & it didn't look so good. (But it was great compared to some of our others!). Bill was kinda disappointed - I was kinda embarrassed. He said, "Brother Matt, you gotta promise me that nobody will ever see that." I promised. I put it away. It was stashed away and nobody ever saw except for me & Hammers for over 20 years! Over that time span,
William Clarke, who had started his career in the South Bay, So Cali, signed to major Alligator Records, and he blew his harp all the way to the very top of the blues harmonica world. He became one of the all-time greats, before he got a chance to finish. Tragically, William Clarke died in 1996. He was only 45. Nobody would get to ever see Bill work his magic & mastery ever again. Generations of future fans would not get to see that cool cat in his shades & suit boogie down flat on his back on the stage rockin' his spin & blowin' minds.
... but I had this unknown hidden gem. I respected Bill's wishes & kept my word for over 20 years - I did not ever show this performance - THEN /20th century. Now, someone might like to see this. I gave the tapes of the show to Bill's wife, Jeannette, she would be a better keeper of this legacy. (YouTube had not quite started yet). One night in early 2014, I was surprised by a posting on Facebook for "William Clarke on Brother Matt's Bluez Shift" from Thomas. Thomas is a fan & harmonica player in the Netherlands who got the show from Jeannette, and he sent it back to me - completing the full circle, spreading the music & magic of William Clarke around the world and into the future.

(*Steve Samuels is amazing and can also be found playing on other Bluez Shift episodes with Johnny Dyer & the LA Jukes).