Iain Clark
is one of the most experienced rock drummers in the North. His early career saw him playing professionally with several London-based bands before joining Cressida, recording two critically acclaimed albums on the legendary Vertigo label, now considered to be some of the finest examples of
early British progressive music
. Cressida were also one of the very first British bands to play behind the Iron Curtain, performing at a major festival in Czechoslovakia in 1971.
After
completing a European tour with Black Sabbath Cressida split and Iain then joined Uriah Heep, recording the million-selling album Look At Yourself one of the best of Heep's early classic line-up albums.
During
his time with Cressida and Heep, Iain toured extensively around Europe and the States playing everything from clubs to colleges, festivals to 20,000 seat auditoriums, sharing stages and TV studios with the likes of the Spencer Davis Group, The Small Faces, John Mayall, The Groundhogs, Traffic, The Nice, Manfred Mann, Free, Taste, Black Sabbath, Three Dog Night, Ten Years After and Steppenwolf to name but a few.
He has a legion of stories to tell of those early years on the road such as the time Jimi Hendrix invited him in to his South Kensington flat for a cup of tea, or being in the Beatles' Apple offices where, the then unknown, James Taylor asked him to listen to the rough mixes of his first studio album. Amazing days!
After
moving to the Highlands in the early eighties he met up with Bobby and Roger, first playing with them in The Missiles and later in Wounded Knee. Their musical partnership now stretches back almost 20 years. Iain also played with Roger in an early Wolfstone line-up and more recently in Latitude 57. But it is in Twisted Blues that they have returned to their roots.
Asked about Twisted Blues Iain says "I just love playing with these guys. Musically, we know each other so well. It's a real joy when it all clicks into place and we get into that space where the music just takes off!. In fact I can honestly say that I get as big a buzz playing in Twisted Blues as I have ever had at any time in my musical career"
He cites Pat Metheny, Steely Dan, Weather Report, Chick Corea, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Jackson Browne, Steve Winwood, Marvin Gaye, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Michael Macdonald, Joni Mitchell and Little Feat amongst his favourite artists. As a drummer, he is a great admirer of John Bonham, Bernard Purdie, Steve Gadd, Vinnie Colluta, Andy Newmark, Dennis Chambers and Omar Hakim to name just a few.
Iain plays a Yamaha 9000 kit with 24" BD, 12"/13"/15" & 16" toms. Zildjian cymbals with Yamaha and DW hardware.
Iain on stage with Heep in the USA 1971
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