In 1971, guitarist David “Clem” Clempson walked into what he thought was an audition for Humble Pie. There was just one surprise: Apparently, he’d already gotten the job.
More than five decades after replacing Peter Frampton in the celebrated British rock band, Clempson celebrates his 77th birthday on Saturday, Sept. 5.
Born Sept. 5, 1949, in Tamworth, Staffordshire, England, Clempson actually began his musical life at the piano. He studied classical piano as a child, starting at just 4 years old, but eventually rebelled against the lessons as a teenager. A couple of years later, he picked up the instrument that would define his career: the guitar.
“I’d always loved guitars, even when I was young,” Clempson recalled in a 2003 interview with DMME.
He first gained attention in the late ’60s as the guitarist and vocalist for blues-rock power trio Bakerloo before joining Colosseum in 1969. But his career took another turn two years later, when Frampton left Humble Pie.
Humble Pie had been formed in 1969 by Frampton and former Small Faces frontman Steve Marriott, along with bassist Greg Ridley and drummer Jerry Shirley. By 1971, the band was gaining traction in America, but Frampton departed to begin the solo career that would eventually make him a superstar.
That opened the door for Clempson.
“People in the Humble Pie camp thought I’d be a good replacement for him,” Clempson later recalled, adding that Marriott was “THE singer I had wanted to work with for years.”
Years later, Clempson revealed that his entrance into the band was even more unusual than it sounded.
After Marriott heard Clempson playing on Colosseum Live, the guitarist was invited to come play with Humble Pie. Clempson believed he was auditioning. When he arrived, however, members of the music press were waiting for him.
“It had already been announced that I was the new guitarist in HUMBLE PIE,” Clempson told DMME in 2003.
Clempson said the situation was particularly awkward because he hadn’t even spoken to his Colosseum bandmates yet.
But musically, the fit worked. Clempson’s arrival helped push Humble Pie toward a heavier sound, something he said Marriott specifically appreciated about his playing.
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“I think that was what Steve liked about my contribution to the band,” Clempson explained. “It made the band heavier.”
Their first studio album with Clempson Smokin’ arrived in March 1972 and became Humble Pie’s biggest commercial studio success, reaching No. 6 in the U.S. It included “Hot ‘n’ Nasty” and one of the band’s best-known songs, “30 Days in the Hole.”
For Clempson, though, Humble Pie’s greatest attraction wasn’t necessarily what happened in the studio.
“Playing live was what the band was all about,” he later said, “and it was a big thrill everytime we did it.”
Humble Pie disbanded in 1975, but Clempson’s remarkably varied career was nowhere near finished.
He worked with musicians including Jack Bruce, Roger Daltrey, Jon Anderson and Bob Dylan, among many others.
His Dylan connection came through the 1987 movie Hearts of Fire. Clempson recalled spending three days filming concert scenes with Dylan, with Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood also in the band.
“We jammed a lot,” Clempson remembered of working with Dylan.
Clempson also came close to adding another enormous rock band to his résumé. During the ’70s, he spent time with Deep Purple while the group was searching for a guitarist following Ritchie Blackmore’s departure. Clempson later clarified that although he jammed with the band, he wasn’t formally offered the job.
Through it all, Clempson’s ability to move between musical worlds became one of the defining characteristics of his career. He reunited with Colosseum in the ’90s and continued performing with various projects for decades.
And while “guitar hero” would seem like an obvious description for someone with his résumé, Clempson has never seemed particularly interested in playing the part.
“I love to play, and I love to play live, I love to play to an audience,” he told DMME, “but I’m not really a performer, if you know what I mean, I’ve never been the showman.”
Related: ’60s Rock Legend, From the Band Behind Bob Dylan’s First No. 1 Hit, Turns 82
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