Rockabilly legend Joe Clay has passed away.

Posted on Facebook today:
This is Christy, Joe Clay's Daughter.
It is with the heaviest of hearts that I let all of his super fans know that Joe Clay has passed away.
He fought a good fight and passed peacefully in my home surrounded by his family.

I will update all of you as arrangements are made.

And please Always know how much he Truly LOVED HIS SUPER FANS!!!!

It was announced a few weeks ago that he had terminal cancer. Fortunately he apparently didn't suffer for long.

 

Not to mention the amazing session he did in NYC with a group of R&B session vets like Mickey Baker, Panama Francis, etc.! Some of the wildest rock'n'roll ever!

 

That's a real shame. It wasn't until I got my paws on this disc that I finally got to hear Joe Clay.

 

Does anyone know how old he was when he died?

 

Even though his legacy rests on nine songs cut in 1956, each of those songs was flawless. Joe Clay had "it". RIP.

Born in 1939, so he would have been 76 or 77.

 

Thanks.

 

Too bad, saw him around 1990, put on a great show. Had him sign my Kicks magazine which he was featured in.

 

Back in the mid '80s I discovered a 45 of "Duck Tails"/"Sixteen Chicks" one one of my junk runs. Not more than a week later, a friend of mine coincidentally found Joe's other 45, "Get On the Right Track," and we were amazed to hear the unmistakable sound of Mickey Baker's guitar on a rockabilly record! At this time, his music hadn't yet been reissued, so we had no idea who he was.

Somehow we managed to discover his mailing address (he was working as a schoolbus driver in Gretna, LA) and wrote to him. He sent us back a nice packet of souveniers from his 1986 European Tour, along with a photo signed "Thank you for being my fan. Sincerely, Joe Clay." What a great guy!

 

A real rock and roller. RIP Joe!

First time I heard 'Duck Tail', I was a freshman in high school and heard DJ Dick Biondi play it as one of his weekly 'Forgotten Oldies'. I still just *slightly* prefer it to Rudy Grayzell's original.

 

I found both of those 45s too, found out later they were repros, same label but the color was off. Great tunes anyways. Eventually got the CD that had the 9 classic songs.

 

RIP. His tunes were always some of my favorite Rockabilly songs. He always attracted hot shot guitar players as well.

 

Rayburn Anthony passed away:

Rayburn Anthony's Obituary on The Jackson Sun

Rayburn Anthony