Clive Palmer (musician)
| Clive Palmer | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Clive Harold Palmer |
| Born |
14 May 1943 Edmonton, North London, England |
| Died | 23 November 2014 (aged 71) Penzance, Cornwall, England |
| Genres | Folk music |
| Instruments | Banjo |
| Years active | 1957–2011 |
| Associated acts | Incredible String Band |
Clive Harold Palmer (14 May 1943 – 23 November 2014) was a British folk musician and banjoist, best known as a founding member of the Incredible String Band.
Born in Edmonton, North London, Palmer first went on stage at the age of 8, and took banjo lessons from the age of 10. Around 1957 he began playing with jazz bands in Soho. He began busking with Wizz Jones in Paris in 1959–60, before moving to Edinburgh in late 1962. By now a virtuoso banjo player, he teamed up as a duo with singer and guitarist Robin Williamson in 1963, playing traditional and bluegrass songs. They became the Incredible String Band in 1965 when they decided to develop their sound and their own writing talents, and added a third member, Mike Heron. Early in 1966, he also ran "Clive's Incredible Folk Club" in Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow.
After recording the first ISB album, The Incredible String Band with Williamson, Heron and producer Joe Boyd, Palmer travelled to India, where he played on national television, and Afghanistan. On his return, he decided not to rejoin the increasingly successful duo. Instead, he recorded an album of banjo music, Banjoland, which remained unreleased until 2005.
He moved to Cornwall in 1968, where he worked as a woodwork teacher and became involved in trade union activities. He also formed the Famous Jug Band and played on their 1969 debut album Sunshine Possibilities, leaving before their 1970 album Chameleon. He later formed The Stockroom Five (1969) with Tim Wellard, John Bidwell and "Whispering" Mick Bennett and The Temple Creatures (1970), various line-ups including, at various times, Wellard, Bidwell, Bennett, percussionist Demelza Val Baker and singer Chrissie Quayle. He then formed another band, C.O.B. (Clive's Original Band), with John Bidwell and Mick Bennett, who released the album, Spirit of Love on CBS (1971), a single "Blue Morning/Bones" (1972) and the album Moyshe McStiff and the Tartan Lancers of the Sacred Heart both on Polydor (1972).
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