Richard Clapton

Richard Clapton is an Australian singer-songwriter who debuted with the 1973 Infinity album Prussian Blue. He scored a Top 4 hit with the title-track to his 1975 album Girls on the Avenue, followed by the 1976–80 albums Main Street Jive, Goodbye Tiger, Hearts on the Nightline, and Dark Spaces. His 1982 WEA release The Great Escape landed his second hit, “I Am an Island.” Clapton also produced the 1981 INXS album Underneath the Colours and entered the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1999.

Background

Richard Clapton was born Terry Goh on May 18, 1949, in Sydney, New South Wales. After his mother died when he was ten, Goh attended Trinity Grammar School in Summer Hill, where English teacher and housemaster Richard Wherrett became an early mentor. Goh followed the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan during his teens, when the father of a school friend bought him his first electric guitar. Goh adopted a stage name drawn from Keith Richards and Eric Clapton. In 1965, he formed the Darktown Strutters and later left school before his final mathematics examination. He also trained as a commercial artist.

In late 1967, Clapton sailed to London, where he joined two local bands. British authorities deported him after his visa expired, prompting a move to West Berlin. By late 1971, he performed in German folk clubs and joined Sopwith Camel with bassist Michael Günther and drummer Burghard Rausch, both members of Agitation Free. The musicians pursued a recording contract in Munich, but the proposed deal collapsed after an American group named Sopwith Camel issued a cease-and-desist notice.

Clapton lived in a Berlin commune, where university lecturer Volker helped him obtain a Revox tape recorder and Neumann microphone. The singer drew on his expulsion from Britain for “Last Train to Marseilles” and his German experiences for “Southern Germany” and “Burning Ships.”

In 1972, Clapton returned to Sydney and joined the local folk-club circuit. He initially stayed with a fellow musician in Chippendale, the setting for “Strange Days in Chippendale.” Clapton secured a publishing agreement with Essex Music and a recording contract with Infinity, a Festival Records subsidiary. He subsequently rented a room in Kings Cross, where he wrote “I Wanna Be a Survivor” overlooking Sydney Harbour.

Infinity producer Richard Batchens paired Clapton with former Flying Circus guitarist Red McKelvie for the October 1972 debut single “Last Train to Marseilles.” Clapton followed the release with a six-week stint as singer in Sun, a Sydney jazz-rock group previously fronted by Renée Geyer. McKelvie departed for a Bangkok nightclub engagement, prompting Batchens to recruit La De Das guitarist Kevin Borich for the debut album sessions. Clapton joined Borich and other Sydney session musicians at Festival Studios for Prussian Blue.

Discography:

• Prussian Blue (1973)
• Girls on the Avenue (1975)
• Main Street Jive (1976)
• Goodbye Tiger (1977)
• Hearts on the Nightline (1979)
• Dark Spaces (1980)
• The Great Escape (1982)
• Solidarity (1984)
• Glory Road (1987)

References and notes

• Richard Clapton on Talking Heads — 2008. First-person account of his parents, boarding school, first guitar, departure from school, and voyage to London. (Interview transcript)
• Australian Music Database — Richard Clapton. Confirms Darktown Strutters membership in 1965 and flags uncertainty over the birth year. (Artist record)
• Richard Clapton — International Speakers Group. Schooling, stage-name origins, commercial-art training, publishing agreement, and early Australian recording chronology. (Biography)
• Agitation Free — Portrait of a Band. Michael Günther recalls Sopwith Camel with Richard Clapton and Burghard Rausch during the Berlin years. (Official band history)
• Noise11 — April 3, 2023. Clapton recounts the London deportation, aborted Munich record deal, German songwriting, and return to the Sydney folk circuit. (Interview)
• Ian McFarlane, Rhythms — September–October 2024. Clapton describes the Berlin commune, Volker, songwriting equipment, Chippendale residence, Kings Cross period, and Festival sessions. (Interview)
• Glen Moffatt, AudioCulture — March 1, 2017. Red McKelvie recounts the first Clapton sessions under Richard Batchens and the subsequent recruitment of Kevin Borich. (Red McKelvie interview)
• Mushroom Music — Richard Clapton. Confirms the October 1972 single, six-week Sun tenure, and November 1973 debut album. (Publishing biography)
• Richard Clapton — Prussian Blue discography. Official identification of Richard Batchens, Festival Studios, and the debut album track program. (Official discography)