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About Clive
Born and raised in Manchester, England, Clive is an accomplished singer, musician
and record producer. His start in the music business was as the leader of Any
Trouble, a band that made five albums and performed hundreds of gigs but which
broke up at the end of 1984. Clive then released his first solo record, Strange
Persuasions, described by Hot Press as "a truly exceptional piece of work." The
record featured the voice of Christine Collister, and between 1985 and 1992,
Gregson & Collister formed a partnership that Rolling Stone called "the state of the
art in British folk-rock". Their first four albums all achieved chart success and
numerous tours of the UK, USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and
Japan further established Clive's world-wide reputation as an innovative leader in
the world of British folk-rock.
Throughout this period Clive was also a member of the Richard Thompson Band
and in demand as a record producer and session musician. He compiled his second
solo project, Welcome To The Workhouse and by October 1992 was performing
as a solo artist again. He developed a fruitful songwriting partnership with Boo
Hewerdine, founder member of The Bible. They toured the UK in the spring of
1993 as a fascinating trio completed by Eddi Reader, the ex-Fairground Attraction
vocalist.
In November 1994, Clive released Carousel Of Noise, a mix of live and studio
recordings, hailed as "brilliant" by the Manchester Evening News. The following
April, Clive signed to Compass Records and released People And Places, a new
studio record featuring some of his best writing and performances to date. New
Country described this record as "among the year's best records..." while Pulse
gave the CD a five star review. August, 1996 saw the release of I Love This Town,
a CD that Clive describes as a "return to the Any Trouble sound: short, upbeat
pop songs with lots of guitar...". Featuring great songs and first rate musicianship,
the CD was greeted by rave reviews.
In September, 1996 Clive travelled to Dublin to take part in sessions for a new
Nanci Griffith CD, Other Voices, Too. The following February he was nominated for
a Nashville Music Award in the Artist/Songwriter category and in March he
undertook his first solo tour of Japan. Further touring in 1997 took Clive to the UK,
Europe and Canada. He also toured Europe and recorded a CD with Plainsong, a
four piece group described as a "Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young for the '90's..." In
breaks between road work, Clive set up a studio in his home and began work on a
new solo album.
Throughout 1998 Clive interspersed recording with yet more touring. He was
shortly re-united with legendary producer John Wood, who agreed to mix Clive's
next solo project Happy Hour. The year 1998 ended with his appearance as a
special guest on Nanci Griffiths', Other Voices Too tour.
Happy Hour was released in April, 1999 to glowing reviews: "Gregson has come up
with one of his best ever records..." Dirty Linen. The album is a truly solo project.
No other musicians were involved and the sound is sparse and intimate. His song
Fred Astaire has already established itself as a firm favourite with fans and was
recently recorded by Norma Waterson.
April of 1999 saw a reunion of the Gregson/Hewerdine/Reader Trio with some dates
in the U.S.A. Boo and Clive then did a tour in Japan culminating in a SRO Tokyo
show. Back in Europe over the summer, Clive played festivals both solo and with
Boo and Eddi. The year concluded with a solo tour of the UK with several shows in
Europe and a week at Ronnie Scott's in Birmingham with the Trio. When not on
the road, Clive is busy in the studio, playing on album projects for Boo Hewerdine,
Ian Gomm and Andy West among others. The new millenium saw Clive join forces
with Boo for their first UK tour as a duo, more Trio dates, a guest appearance with
Nanci Griffith & The Atlanta Symphony, various solo summer festivals and more
session work. The year ended with Clive's most successful solo UK tour to date.
Clive's next CD Comfort & Joy was released in 2001. Much solo touring followed to
promote the album, including a trip to Japan and Clive's first solo dates in the USA
in almost five years. The warm reception for the album and live shows kept Clive
busy on the road throughout 2002. The year also saw the first official label release
of Carousel Of Noise and a compilation of Any Trouble tracks from their Stiff era,
Girls Are Always Right. The latter met with a great response from critics and fans
alike and even showed up on the Amazon.com best sellers list.
In October 2003, Clive managed to fall off a ladder, breaking his left arm and
shoulder. These injuries required a fairly lengthy healing process and the
cancellation of touring and recording commitments for a while. Happily, the end of
January 2004 saw Clive back in the studio playing on sessions for a new Nanci
Griffith CD and a couple of weeks later he played his first solo gig since the
accident. Luckily, his solo CD Long Story Short had been completed the week
before his accident and the album was released in the UK on Fellside Recordings on
May 1st, 2004.
2005 turned out to be a particularly busy year for Clive. His participation in the
recording sesions for Nanci Griffiths' Hearts In Mind album led to Nanci asking him
to join her touring band, The Blue Moon Orchestra. Nanci's version of Clive's song
I Love This Town, (performed as a duet with Jimmy Buffet) was released as a single
and became a radio hit in both the USA and the UK. As a result, Clive spent most of
the year on a tourbus, country and western style! He somehow managed to fit in
his usual spring and autumn UK tours and also spent a very enjoyable week
playing with Dennis Locorriere (ex Dr Hook) at various UK venues.
It was plenty more of the same in 2006/2007... solo dates, Nanci Griffith shows
and a lengthy spell as musical director for Dennis Locorriere's "Hits & History" tour.
That particular show resulted in a gold record and was also filmed for a concert
DVD. The Gregson & Collister CD reissue programme also got underway... so far
"Home & Away", "Mischief" and "The Best Of Gregson & Collister" have been issued.
Perhaps the biggest event of 2007 for Clive was the long awaited reunion of Any
Trouble. The band got together in April to record a brand new album entitled "Life
In Reverse"... released on Stiff Records, the band shot a video for the single "That
Sound", which was directed by the legendary Nigel Dick. In October the band
played their first live show in 23 years at the Jazz Cafe in London. A packed house
sang along with a mixture of old and new favourites... and apparently quite a few
tears were shed!
And so... plans for 2008 include more Any Trouble gigs, more solo gigs, a new solo
album, more Gregson & Collister reissues, a production project or two... obviously
there's no sign of Clive slowing down yet!
and record producer. His start in the music business was as the leader of Any
Trouble, a band that made five albums and performed hundreds of gigs but which
broke up at the end of 1984. Clive then released his first solo record, Strange
Persuasions, described by Hot Press as "a truly exceptional piece of work." The
record featured the voice of Christine Collister, and between 1985 and 1992,
Gregson & Collister formed a partnership that Rolling Stone called "the state of the
art in British folk-rock". Their first four albums all achieved chart success and
numerous tours of the UK, USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and
Japan further established Clive's world-wide reputation as an innovative leader in
the world of British folk-rock.
Throughout this period Clive was also a member of the Richard Thompson Band
and in demand as a record producer and session musician. He compiled his second
solo project, Welcome To The Workhouse and by October 1992 was performing
as a solo artist again. He developed a fruitful songwriting partnership with Boo
Hewerdine, founder member of The Bible. They toured the UK in the spring of
1993 as a fascinating trio completed by Eddi Reader, the ex-Fairground Attraction
vocalist.
In November 1994, Clive released Carousel Of Noise, a mix of live and studio
recordings, hailed as "brilliant" by the Manchester Evening News. The following
April, Clive signed to Compass Records and released People And Places, a new
studio record featuring some of his best writing and performances to date. New
Country described this record as "among the year's best records..." while Pulse
gave the CD a five star review. August, 1996 saw the release of I Love This Town,
a CD that Clive describes as a "return to the Any Trouble sound: short, upbeat
pop songs with lots of guitar...". Featuring great songs and first rate musicianship,
the CD was greeted by rave reviews.
In September, 1996 Clive travelled to Dublin to take part in sessions for a new
Nanci Griffith CD, Other Voices, Too. The following February he was nominated for
a Nashville Music Award in the Artist/Songwriter category and in March he
undertook his first solo tour of Japan. Further touring in 1997 took Clive to the UK,
Europe and Canada. He also toured Europe and recorded a CD with Plainsong, a
four piece group described as a "Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young for the '90's..." In
breaks between road work, Clive set up a studio in his home and began work on a
new solo album.
Throughout 1998 Clive interspersed recording with yet more touring. He was
shortly re-united with legendary producer John Wood, who agreed to mix Clive's
next solo project Happy Hour. The year 1998 ended with his appearance as a
special guest on Nanci Griffiths', Other Voices Too tour.
Happy Hour was released in April, 1999 to glowing reviews: "Gregson has come up
with one of his best ever records..." Dirty Linen. The album is a truly solo project.
No other musicians were involved and the sound is sparse and intimate. His song
Fred Astaire has already established itself as a firm favourite with fans and was
recently recorded by Norma Waterson.
April of 1999 saw a reunion of the Gregson/Hewerdine/Reader Trio with some dates
in the U.S.A. Boo and Clive then did a tour in Japan culminating in a SRO Tokyo
show. Back in Europe over the summer, Clive played festivals both solo and with
Boo and Eddi. The year concluded with a solo tour of the UK with several shows in
Europe and a week at Ronnie Scott's in Birmingham with the Trio. When not on
the road, Clive is busy in the studio, playing on album projects for Boo Hewerdine,
Ian Gomm and Andy West among others. The new millenium saw Clive join forces
with Boo for their first UK tour as a duo, more Trio dates, a guest appearance with
Nanci Griffith & The Atlanta Symphony, various solo summer festivals and more
session work. The year ended with Clive's most successful solo UK tour to date.
Clive's next CD Comfort & Joy was released in 2001. Much solo touring followed to
promote the album, including a trip to Japan and Clive's first solo dates in the USA
in almost five years. The warm reception for the album and live shows kept Clive
busy on the road throughout 2002. The year also saw the first official label release
of Carousel Of Noise and a compilation of Any Trouble tracks from their Stiff era,
Girls Are Always Right. The latter met with a great response from critics and fans
alike and even showed up on the Amazon.com best sellers list.
In October 2003, Clive managed to fall off a ladder, breaking his left arm and
shoulder. These injuries required a fairly lengthy healing process and the
cancellation of touring and recording commitments for a while. Happily, the end of
January 2004 saw Clive back in the studio playing on sessions for a new Nanci
Griffith CD and a couple of weeks later he played his first solo gig since the
accident. Luckily, his solo CD Long Story Short had been completed the week
before his accident and the album was released in the UK on Fellside Recordings on
May 1st, 2004.
2005 turned out to be a particularly busy year for Clive. His participation in the
recording sesions for Nanci Griffiths' Hearts In Mind album led to Nanci asking him
to join her touring band, The Blue Moon Orchestra. Nanci's version of Clive's song
I Love This Town, (performed as a duet with Jimmy Buffet) was released as a single
and became a radio hit in both the USA and the UK. As a result, Clive spent most of
the year on a tourbus, country and western style! He somehow managed to fit in
his usual spring and autumn UK tours and also spent a very enjoyable week
playing with Dennis Locorriere (ex Dr Hook) at various UK venues.
It was plenty more of the same in 2006/2007... solo dates, Nanci Griffith shows
and a lengthy spell as musical director for Dennis Locorriere's "Hits & History" tour.
That particular show resulted in a gold record and was also filmed for a concert
DVD. The Gregson & Collister CD reissue programme also got underway... so far
"Home & Away", "Mischief" and "The Best Of Gregson & Collister" have been issued.
Perhaps the biggest event of 2007 for Clive was the long awaited reunion of Any
Trouble. The band got together in April to record a brand new album entitled "Life
In Reverse"... released on Stiff Records, the band shot a video for the single "That
Sound", which was directed by the legendary Nigel Dick. In October the band
played their first live show in 23 years at the Jazz Cafe in London. A packed house
sang along with a mixture of old and new favourites... and apparently quite a few
tears were shed!
And so... plans for 2008 include more Any Trouble gigs, more solo gigs, a new solo
album, more Gregson & Collister reissues, a production project or two... obviously
there's no sign of Clive slowing down yet!