Kenelm Samuel Clarkson (born January 2, 1960) is an Australian musician. He gained worldwide fame for being the rhythm guitarist and co-founder of El Kadsreian rock band Rinava and the lead guitarist, co-founder and co-frontman of the Australian band Gems. The son of handball player Doug Clarkson, he played handball and soccer in his youth and moved to the then-Vlokozu Union with hopes of entering handball professionally there, but took up music full-time instead.
Early life[]
Clarkson was born in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia; the son of Monica (née Ronson) and handball player Doug Clarkson.
In 1972, Clarkson's father obtained passes for his friends to a Yes concert held in the same indoor arena in Sydney as one of his handball tournaments. When one of the friends could not go, they gave their ticket to the 11-year old Kenelm, who was mesmerized by the performance and bought their album Fragile the next day. The concert and album had a considerable impact on Clarkson, inspiring the start of his music career.
As a result of his newfound interest in music, he received his first guitar, a Maton MS500, from his aunt around the age of 13.
Career[]
Gems[]
Main article: Gems
In 1974, Clarkson founded the band Gems with singer Jim Curthoys and bassist Benny Orosz. The band recorded a demo album in 1976. However, Clarkson intended to follow in his father's footsteps and play handball, and he moved to the then-Vlokozu Union in the summer of 1977. In 1985, Clarkson rejoined Gems and joined them in the recording of their 1987 album Downhill, which spawned three US top 10 singles.
[]
Main article: Rinava
Failing to enter the Vlokozuian national youth handball league, Clarkson chose instead to focus on music. A few days later, he noticed an ad placed by Ryu Judoku in the classified secton of a newspaper, looking for musicians to start a band with him. Clarkson was among those who replied, and The Miros was formed. In 1984, the band was re-named Rinava.