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RIP Clem Burke, drummer for Blondie. 4/5/25
He was a wild man on the kit He could write songs, play guitar, and pound out a driving beat. He was an all round musician.
It was the lead single from the band's fourth album, "Eat To The Beat" in 1979. It became a live show favorite, usually coming in second on the set list.
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= new reply since forum marked as read
I'm going to correct it. Thanx!
I see now he played drums for The Ramones. I can see how he got mixed up with those guys. His style fits right in with the manic beat of their short punk songs. He fell in right after Marky Mark (Ramone) and Richie Ramone moved on. The band has seen enough drummers to fit in with Spinal Tap.
During the 1980s and 1990s when Blondie was disbanded, Burke played drums for the Romantics (for whom Burke was the regular drummer between 1990 and 2004), Pete Townshend, Bob Dylan, Eurythmics, Dramarama, the Fleshtones, Iggy Pop, and Joan Jett, amongst others. He went on to record with the line-up of Chequered Past in 1983 with Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, former Blondie bandmate Nigel Harrison, bass guitarist and vocalist Tony Sales, and singer/actor Michael Des Barres.
In 1987, Burke sat in as drummer for the Ramones (under the name "Elvis Ramone"
for two gigs, on August 28 in Providence, Rhode Island, and August 29 in Trenton, New Jersey at the punk club The City Gardens, after the sudden departure of Richie Ramone. On October 8, 2004, he once again played under the name "Elvis Ramone", when he joined Tommy Ramone, C. J. Ramone, and Daniel Rey in the "Ramones Beat on Cancer" concert.
In 1987, Burke sat in as drummer for the Ramones (under the name "Elvis Ramone"
for two gigs, on August 28 in Providence, Rhode Island, and August 29 in Trenton, New Jersey at the punk club The City Gardens, after the sudden departure of Richie Ramone. On October 8, 2004, he once again played under the name "Elvis Ramone", when he joined Tommy Ramone, C. J. Ramone, and Daniel Rey in the "Ramones Beat on Cancer" concert.