Intrigued by the famous guitarist Eddie Clarke? Find out all about his net worth, death and other interesting facts from below.
Who is Eddie Clarke?
Edward Allan Clarke also known as ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke, was a British guitarist. He was a member of heavy metal bands like ‘Fastway’ and ‘Motorhead.’ Eddie Clarke was the only surviving member of the Motorhead’s classic lineup, which consisted of Phil, himself and Lemmy.
Net worth
The net worth of Eddie Clarke is $60 million and he earns an annual income of $280,000 dollars.
Interesting Facts About The Guitarist
Clarke learnt how to play guitar when he was a child. By the age of 15, he had been through many local bands, one of which was known as ‘The Bitter End’. Clarke played local gigs until 1973. He later joined the Curtis Knight’s Blues prog rock band, ‘Zeus’ as the lead guitarist and became a professional. In 1974, the band ‘Zeus’ recorded an album called ‘The Second Coming’ which had Clarke’s music and Knight’s lyrics to the song ‘The Confession’. Clarke also recorded the album, ‘Sea of Time’ with the band Zeus. Later on, Clarke attended a recorded jam session in Picadilly with some of his friends. The tracks from their session were so good that the quartet secured a deal with Anchor Records and named their new band, ‘Blue Goose’. Clarke with his friends then left the band Zeus to focus on their own project. After being sacked from ‘Blue Goose’ over a tiff between friends, Clarke formed another band called ‘Continuous Performance’. This line up lasted until 1975 after which the band split up. Clarke then formed another band which again was unsuccessful in getting a deal. Clarke was so upset that he gave up music for some time. Clarke joined the band ‘Motorhead’ and began playing with Lemmy and Taylor. The threesome were considered the classic Motorhead line-up and increased the popularity of the band in UK. Their famous albums were ‘Motorhead’, ‘Overkill’, ‘Ace of Spades’, ‘Bomber’, ‘No Sleep ’til Hammersmith’ and ‘Iron Fist’ and also some hit singles. Clarke left the band Motorhead in 1982 while touring the UN. The album ‘Iron Fist’ was the fifth album of the band and was inferior to anything that they had ever done. ‘Bomber’ was their third studio album. Fastway Band was created by Eddie Clarke and Pete Way. The first hit album of the band ‘Fastway’ was ‘Waiting for the Roar’ in 1986. Clarke toured America with his band, Fastway and then toured Europe. They produced 1992’s ‘Say What You Will’ a live album. Fastway also provided music for the Trick or Treat film soundtrack. They composed the title track and performed ‘Heft’ and ‘If You Could See’ from their albums. Fastway recorded their seventh album, ‘Eat Dog Eat’ in 2011. ‘Eat Dog Eat’ was released 21 years after the previous album of Fastway. It featured heavy metal and hard rock. But the band split up, and Clarke moved to London. He met a solo artist, Lea Hart to GWR Records to sign a deal. Using the name ‘Fastway’ only, they recorded the album, ‘On Target’. This band of Clarke and Hart split up after the production of two albums. Clarke did a solo album, ‘It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over’ which blended the styles of Motorhead and Fastway. Clarke’s friend Lemmy had helped him by writing and singing for the track, ‘Laugh at the Devil’ from the same album. The double CD release, ‘Fast Eddie Clarke Anthology’ by Sanctuary Records had a collection of Clarke’s collection of music spanning his career before and after Motorhead. With this release, Clarke returned to live performances with his re-formed Fastway. They also gave an appearance at the UK’s Download Festival in 2007. In 2014, Eddie Clark when back to his Blues roots and released a new album, ‘Make My Day – Back to Blues’ which was a collaboration between the guitarist Clarke and keyboardist, Bill Sharpe. Guitarist Clarke reunited with Lemmy in the same year to play the Motorhead Track, ‘Ace of Spades’.
Death of Eddie Clarke
On 10 January 2018, at the age of 67, Clarke died in a hospital where he was being treated for pneumonia. He did not have a very lavish lifestyle. He owned a BMW and a Mercedes Benz. Artists from the rock world played him tribute. His friend Phil Campbell said, “Very sorry to hear today the sad news about Eddie Clarke. His iconic riffs inspired many and will remain dear in our hearts. RIP “Fast” Eddie Clarke.” Saxon posted on Twitter, “We’ve just heard our good friend Fast Eddie Clarke has died. Our thoughts go out to his loved ones and family. He will be greatly missed, but he’s gone to join Phil and Lemmy. We have great memories of our times with him. RIP Eddie.” The band Fastway posted on their Twitter feed saying: “All of us at Fastway HQ are absolutely heartbroken to have to post this – we have lost a legend.” “Our thoughts are with his family and friends. He will be sorely missed. RIP Fast Eddie.”
The guitarist’s sudden death has left a void in the rock music industry. He will be missed by all!
