Rhys Clark
| Rhys Clark | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Rhys Edward Clark |
| Born | 17 September 1946 |
| Origin | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Occupation(s) | Drummer |
| Years active | 1963-present |
| Associated acts |
The Executives Billy Joel Hoyt Axton Freddy Fender |
Rhys Edward Clark (born 17 September 1946 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a New Zealand drummer who, since moving to the United States in 1970, has played with such artists as Hoyt Axton, Freddy Fender, and most notably Billy Joel.
Between 1971 and 1975, Clark toured with Joel and recorded his albums Cold Spring Harbor and Piano Man. He was also the drummer on Joel's breakthrough Sigma Sound radio concert broadcast on WMMR-FM in April 1972, as well as at the Mar y Sol Festival two weeks prior, where they played to a crowd of 50,000. After his time with Joel, Clark ultimately hooked up with Hoyt Axton and toured and recorded with him from 1979 through 1999. In the 90s, he also began touring with Freddy Fender, as well as the Texas Tornados; which he did until Fender died in late 2006. Since 2006, Clark has performed with a number of artists, such as Johnny Rodriguez, Sam the Sham, Charlie Rich Jr., Jann Browne, Chris Gaffney, Sweethearts of the Rodeo, Rosie Flores, Wanda Jackson, Michael Chain and Rick Shea.
In September, 2013, Clark reunited with his former Billy Joel bandmates, Larry Russell and Don Evans, along with singers/piano players, David Clark and Elio Pace, to re-create the WMMR/Sigma Sound concert that jumpstarted Joel's career. They did two sold-out performances of "Long Long Time: A Historic Tribute to Billy Joel;" one in New York and one in Philadelphia, where the original show was broadcast. A documentary and CD will be released in early 2014 with more shows to follow.
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