James Patrick Clench (May 1, 1949 – November 3, 2010) was a Canadian bassist and vocalist known for his roles in the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

bands

April Wine April Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969 and based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Led by singer-guitarist-songwriter Myles Goodwin since its inception, April Wine's first success came with its second album, '' On Record'' (1972), which reac ...

and

Bachman–Turner Overdrive Bachman–Turner Overdrive, often abbreviated BTO, were a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, founded by Randy Bachman, Robbie Bachman and Fred Turner in 1973. Their 1970s catalogue included five top-40 albums and six US top-40 single ...

With April Wine (first run)

Clench was asked to join

after their original bassist Jim Henman decided to leave the band in October 1971. Although

Myles Goodwyn Myles Francis Goodwyn (born Miles Francis Goodwin on ) is a Canadian musician. He is the only original remaining member of the rock band April Wine, in which he is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Goodwyn has led the ba ...

was April Wine's primary lead singer, Clench was lead vocalist on songs such as the hit singles "Oowatanite" (which he also wrote) and "Weeping Widow". In 1975, after recording three studio albums and one live, Clench decided to leave April Wine and was replaced by former

Mashmakhan Mashmakhan was a Canadian rock band formed in 1969 in L'Île-Perrot, Quebec. The band is best known for their 1970 hit single " As the Years Go By". The song reached No. 1 in Canada, and the Top 40 in the United States. The song was also a maj ...

bassist

Steve Lang Stephen Keith Lang (March 24, 1949 – February 4, 2017) was a Canadian bassist best known for his time and work with the rock band April Wine from 1976 to 1984 during the band's most successful years. Early life Lang was born in Montreal, Qu ...

. Early April Wine albums recorded with Clench include; '' On Record'' (1972), '' Electric Jewels'' (1973), '' Live!'' (1974), and '' Stand Back'' (1975), which was released just before he left the band.

With Bachman–Turner Overdrive

In 1978, Clench was asked to join

to replace

Randy Bachman Randolph Charles Bachman (; born September 27, 1943) is a Canadian guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a founding member of the bands The Guess Who and Bachman–Turner Overdrive. Bachman recorded as a solo artist and was part of a num ...

, who decided to start a solo career. Clench was with BTO until its first breakup in 1979, appearing on the albums '' Street Action'' (1978) and ''

Rock n' Roll Nights ''Rock n' Roll Nights'' is the eighth studio album by Canadian rock band BTO, released in 1979. This record was one of three BTO albums that did not feature co-founder Randy Bachman. ''Rock n' Roll Nights'' is also one of the two albums from th ...

'' (1979). In addition to playing bass, Clench shared lead vocal duties with Fred Turner and wrote multiple songs for these two albums. Shortly afterwards, Clench also appeared as a guest musician on

Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million and mor ...

's 1980 debut album. In 1980, Clench formed and toured with his own group, 451 Degrees. They released one album in Canada only. A video of their hit song, "Don't Walk", is available on YouTube. Clench also appeared in

Loverboy Loverboy is a Canadian rock band formed in 1979 in Calgary, Alberta. Loverboy's hit singles, particularly " Turn Me Loose" and "Working for the Weekend", have become arena rock staples and are still heard on many classic rock and classic hits r ...

, who made their live debut opening for

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, B.C. on November 19, 1979. Shortly after this show, Clench was replaced by Scott Smith.

With April Wine (second run)

In 1992, April Wine reformed and Clench accepted an invitation to rejoin. He then took part in four more studio albums recorded after the reformation. Those albums include; ''

Attitude Attitude may refer to: Philosophy and psychology * Attitude (psychology), an individual's predisposed state of mind regarding a value * Metaphysics of presence * Propositional attitude, a relational mental state connecting a person to a pro ...

'' (1993), ''

Frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

'' (1994), '' Back to the Mansion'' (2001), and '' Roughly Speaking'' (2006). Clench also appears on April Wine's '' Greatest Hits Live 2003''. In late 2006, Clench once again left April Wine, and was replaced by former

Brutus Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC), often referred to simply as Brutus, was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Serv ...

/ Offenbach bassist

Breen LeBoeuf Chimo! (Inuit for "Hello") was a Canadian jazz-rock/jazz fusion band, founded in 1969. The band played with some of the biggest acts of their era, and recorded one album, ''Cross Country Man'' for Revolver Records. History Chimo! evolved from Ge ...

at the beginning of 2007.

Death

On November 3, 2010, Clench died in a

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

hospital after battling stage 4

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clench, Jim April Wine members Bachman–Turner Overdrive members Canadian rock bass guitarists 1949 births 2010 deaths Deaths from lung cancer Deaths from cancer in Quebec 20th-century Canadian bass guitarists