Joe Clay, 1950's rockabilly pioneer, dead at 78
Rockabilly pioneer Joe Clay, real name Claiborne Joseph Cheramie, passed away on September 26th at the age of 78 due to complications of kidney cancer.
In the mid 1950's the Louisiana native recorded classics such as Ducktail, Sixteen Chicks and Get On The Right Track. He had a promising early career touring with Elvis Presley on The Louisiana Hayride and even appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in May of 1956 many months before Elvis made his first appearance. However, like many other young artists, he signed a contract with a manager who didn't have his best interests in mind. His manager discouraged him from playing shows out of the New Orleans area. Soon after RCA Records flew him out to Houston and New York to record his most popular songs he started having problems with his manager. He wanted to get out of his contract but his manager wouldn't release him and RCA Records, who had grown tired of waiting for him, decided to not work with him anymore.
After his recording career was over Joe mainly played in local bands on Bourbon Street to make ends meet. He was an accomplished musician playing guitar, drums and electric bass and he continued playing weddings, proms and lounges for several more years and also started driving a school bus. Unknown to him, the songs he had recorded in the 50's were re-released on rock n' roll compilations in Germany and England. A show booker from England tracked him down after a long four year search in the mid 1980's and let Joe know of his newfound popularity with rockabilly revival fans. Joe was thrilled to find out that a new generation of people liked his music and agreed to tour England in 1986.
Since that tour in 1986 he has performed at many shows all over the world even appearing at the 2015 Viva Las Vegas Weekender. According to his daughter Jacqueline Delgado his last performance was just three months ago in Spain. Joe had been in poor health the last couple of weeks and after putting up a great battle against his cancer he succumbed to his illness and passed away on Monday, September 26th. After his funeral on October 2nd, his final resting place will be in Westlawn Memorial Park in Gretna, Louisiana.
Joe Clay at his last performance in Calella, Spain at the 2016 Screamin' Rockabilly Festival.
Quick Facts About Joe Clay:
Born in 1939 in Gretna, Louisiana.
Real name was Claiborne Joseph Cheramie.
His parents encouraged his interest in country music and at the age of 12 he was already a good drummer and later also learned rhythm guitar & electric bass.
He began performing at age 12 in a country band which was offered a spot performing on local radio station WWEZ.
RCA Records subsidiary Vik Records signed him a few years later, while he was still in his teens.
In 1956, he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, a few months before Elvis Presley. He played a cover of The Platters "Only You" due to Sullivan not letting him perform his rocking tune "Ducktails".
He would later play guitar on some of Elvis's recordings and also drums for him at one show when DJ Fontana wasn't able to travel.
In 1955 he played the prestigious Louisiana Hayride out of Shreveport where he shared billing with Elvis Presley..
In 2008 he appeared in an award-winning Canadian documentary entitled Rockabilly 514. In it he speaks about his early beginnings as a rockabilly musician in the 1950's and his appreciation for the new generation of rockabilly kids. He also performs "Sixteen Chicks" in the documentary.