Photo: shiver_shi / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Clem Burke was the beating heart of Blondie, and that's no small thing. He joined in 1975 and never left, drumming on every album with Debbie Harry and Chris Stein until his death in 2025. Half a century holding down that propulsive new-wave pulse from the unglamorous seat behind the kit is the mark of a true craftsman. I love that he even went back to study at the University of Gloucestershire, treating drumming as a lifelong subject of inquiry rather than just a gig. He never put the sticks down, and that lifelong devotion is exactly what real rock and roll is made of.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Clem Burke
- Name (Japanese)
- クレム・バーク
- Reading
- くれむ・ばーく
- Born
- November 24, 1954 (age 71)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Horse
- Origin
- Bayonne, New Jersey, United States
- Occupation
- drummer
2. Background
- University
- University of Gloucestershire
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clem%20Burke
Frequently asked questions
When was Clem Burke born?
Born November 24, 1954 (age 71).
Where is Clem Burke from?
Clem Burke is from Bayonne, New Jersey, United States.
What does Clem Burke do?
Clem Burke works as drummer.
Drummer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.