Drummer with Blondie who provided the backbone of their string of hit singles and live performances
Clem Burke, who has died aged 70 of cancer, was the drummer with Blondie from the group’s early days in the mid-1970s through to their disbandment in 1982 – and then again when they reformed in 1997.
At other times, and during the band’s second incarnation, he was in demand as a drummer for hire, often playing with figures associated with the punk and new wave milieu from which he had emerged – including Iggy Pop, Johnny Thunders, the Ramones and two former Sex Pistols.
In 2012 he joined another ex-Pistol, Glen Matlock, to form the International Swingers with James Stevenson of Generation X and Gary Twinn of Supernaut. He was also a member of Slinky Vagabond with Matlock, Earl Slick and Keanan Duffty, and in 2012 became a founding member of the Split