Drummer’s Review is sad to report the death of drummer Clem Burke.
Known worldwide for his role in New York New Wave legends Blondie – Burke played on all of the band’s albums, as well as engaging in projects with a vast variety of famous and diverse artists.
As a drummer, Burke was known for his perfect sense of time. He confirmed to this writer in an interview, that when his in-ear click track stopped functioning during a Blondie gig, he continued playing without it, and when the track returned after a few minutes, his drumming was still precisely on the beat.
It’s not only his impeccable rhythmic timing that marked out Clem Burke as an accomplished musician. His abilities as a player were matched only by his immense work ethic that saw him continually occupied playing drums throughout his adult life. Artists as varied as Bob Dylan, The Ramones, Iggy Pop, Eurythmics, and Nancy Sinatra, who counted Burke as a close friend, have all enjoyed the rhythmic enhancements of his playing on some of their albums and live performances.
Away from the stage and studio, Burke took a deep interest in the effects of drumming on players, both physically and psychologically. He was involved in an eight-year study of the effects of playing, conducted jointly by the universities of Gloucestershire and Chichester. In July 2011, Burke received an honorary doctorate from the University of Gloucestershire as a result of his involvement in the project.
Blondie guitarist Chris Stein referred to Burke in a social media tribute to his close friend and colleague, as “the beating heart of Blondie”, and the band’s massive worldwide fanbase can be attributed in no small measure, to his distinctive and inventive playing on all the band’s various musical stylistic offerings through the years. Burke’s playing is especially essential on Blondie’s proto-rap/hip-hop/disco hit ‘Rapture’ in 1980. Such was his security and faith in his tenure in the band that Burke had no problem sharing his drum parts with a Roland CR-78 Drum Machine for the rock/disco hybrid that was ‘Heart Of Glass’ from Blondie’s 1978 classic album ‘Parallel Lines’.
As a band, Blondie were constantly at the forefront of innovative musical ideas, and Clem Burke was an essential aspect of that creative collective. Always keen on exploring any and all new pop music he could find, Burke was equally keen to develop his drumming technique to provide a singular drumming style that is such an integral and essential part of Blondie’s sound and success.
There is a saying, there are plenty of bad bands with good drummers, but there are no great bands with bad drummers, and that maxim is personified by the contribution of Clem Burke to Blondie, and his myriad side projects, as well as to the wider world of the drum community. His tireless energy which he brought to each and every performance, both on stage and on record, and his memorable personality and presence, remain as a shining example to players everywhere.
Clem Burke was a consummate musician and innovator, and the world of drums and drummers is poorer for his passing. He leaves behind his wife Ellen, to whom he was married for twenty-three years, and a vast legacy of music and inspiration for drummers of all styles and genres.
Clem passed away after suffering with cancer for over a year, a condition he chose to keep private from the wider world until his passing.
Drummer’s Review expresses sincere condolences to Clem’s family, friends, and colleagues.
Clem Burke 24 November 1954 – 7 April 2025.
ANDY HUGHES
