Kenny Clare British drummer Kenny Clare died on January 11 at the Westminster Hospital in London, at the age of 55. Kenny had been hospitalized for eight weeks and had several operations for the removal of cancer from the esophagus. The son of a drummer, Kenny Clare started playing in the early ’40s, after being inspired by a movie featuring Buddy Rich. Kenny always credited Buddy and Don Lamond with being his biggest influences. Kenny’s dynamic and readily identifiable style made him one of the top British studio players. At one point in the mid-’60s, he was doing every major TV show and record date in the U.K., along with his busy playing commitments for visiting American jazz artists. He played on about 30 “number ones” in the USA and Europe, and worked with major stars ranging from Tony Bennett and Tom Jones to Barbra Streisand, Ella Fitzgerald and the […]

April 1985 Issue