Claiborne Joseph Cheramie
(September 9, 1938 – September 26, 2016), better known by his stage name Joe Clay, was an American
rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blu ...
musician. He was from
Gretna, Louisiana
Gretna is the second-largest city in, and parish seat of, Jefferson Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana.
"Gretna, Louisiana (LA) Detailed Profile" (notes),
''City Data'', 2007, webpage:
C-Gretna
"Census 2000 Data for the State of Lou ...
, United States.
Career
Clay was born in
Harvey, Louisiana
Harvey is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. Harvey is on the south side (referred to as the "West Bank") of the Mississippi River, within the New Orleans– Metairie–Kenner metropolitan sta ...
, United States.
His parents encouraged an early interest in country music and at the age of 12, he was already a competent drummer, later also learning rhythm guitar and electric bass. Clay began performing at that age in a
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...
band, who were offered a spot performing on the local radio station
WWEZ.
RCA
The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...
subsidiary
Vik Records
Vik Records was a subsidiary of RCA Victor Records established in April 1953. In the '' Billboard'' issue of the 11th of that month, it was announced that RCA was launching, namelessly, a new label that was the company's first to be distributed ind ...
signed him a few years later, while he was still in his teens; he recorded in New York with guitarists
Mickey Baker
MacHouston "Mickey" Baker (October 15, 1925 – November 27, 2012) was an American guitarist, best known for his work as a studio musician and as part of the recording duo Mickey & Sylvia.
Early life
Baker was born in Louisville, Kentucky. His ...
and
Skeeter Best
Clifton "Skeeter" Best (November 20, 1914 – May 27, 1985) was an American jazz guitarist.
Best played in Philadelphia from 1935 to 1940, recording with Slim Marshall and Erskine Hawkins. In 1940, he joined Earl Hines's orchestra, playing with ...
, bassist
Leonard Gaskin
Leonard Gaskin (August 25, 1920 – January 24, 2009) was an American jazz bassist born in New York City.
Gaskin played on the early bebop scene at Minton's and Monroe's in New York in the early 1940s. In 1944 he took over Oscar Pettiford's ...
, and drummers
Bobby Donaldson
Robert Stanley "Bobby" Donaldson (November 29, 1922, Boston – 1971) was an American jazz and R&B drummer.
After playing locally in the early 1940s, Donaldson played with Russell Procope while serving in the Army in New York City. In 1946–47 ...
and
Joe Marshall. He drove a school bus for 15 years in the New Orleans area. "During 1955 his local reputation enabled him to play the prestigious Louisiana Hayride out of Shreveport where he shared billing with the newly emerging Elvis Presley." The source also mentioned he filled in as a drummer for Presley when he played Pontchartrain Amusement Park in
, when
D.J. Fontana could not make the gig.
In 1956, he appeared on ''
The Ed Sullivan Show
''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night M ...
'',
a few months before
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
performed thereon, and Clay played a
cover
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of co ...
of
The Platters
The Platters was an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The a ...
' hit "
Only You (And You Alone)
"Only You (And You Alone)" (often shortened to "Only You") is a pop song composed by Buck Ram. It was originally recorded by The Platters with lead vocals by Tony Williams in 1955.
The Platters versions
The Platters first recorded the song for ...
". Clay would later play guitar on some of Presley's recordings, but his manager would not let him tour outside the
area, and he never scored a hit.
After being dropped from RCA, he continued performing in New Orleans for over 30 years. In the 1980s, the rockabilly revival in Europe resulted in renewed interest in Clay; he then toured England in 1986.
In 1991, Clay was interviewed and featured in Cat Tales fanzine, appearing on the cover. He talked about his early success, fading into obscurity, then being rediscovered.
In 2008, he appeared in an award-winning Canadian documentary entitled ''
Rockabilly 514'', directed by
Patricia Chica and Mike Wafer. He spoke about his early beginnings as a rockabilly musician in the 1950s and his fascination for the new generation of rockabilly followers. He is also seen performing live his single, "Sixteen Chicks", among an enthusiastic crowd of young rockabilly fans.
In 2011, Clay in performance at the NOLA House Of Blues, was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame.
Clay headlined The Rockers Reunion in the Rivermeade Leisure Centre, Reading, England on January 23, 2016.
Clay died on September 26, 2016, at the age of 78.
Discography
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clay, Joe
American rockabilly musicians
1938 births
2016 deaths
People from Gretna, Louisiana
People from Harvey, Louisiana
Country musicians from Louisiana