Zal Cleminson
Encyclopedia
Alistair "Zal" Cleminson (born 4 May 1949, Glasgow
, Scotland
) is a Scottish
guitarist
, best known for his prominent role in The Sensational Alex Harvey Band during the 1970s.
make-up, audiences could not mistake him, or his guitar solos
on stage with SAHB.
In 1979, he joined Nazareth
and recorded two albums with them, 1979's No Mean City and 1980's Malice in Wonderland. He was a regular guitarist with UK legend Elkie Brooks
on many of her tours throughout 1980s. He also wrote and played on Brooks' album, Minutes. Cleminson has also toured and recorded with Midge Ure and Bonnie Tyler.
In 2006 he appeared in his début acting role as Wilson in the western
film, A Shot in the West
, for which he wrote the theme music. In early 2008 he announced his retirement from the music industry and stated he would never perform live again.
Cleminson is referenced in the novel The Sacred Art of Stealing
by the Scottish author Christopher Brookmyre
as the basis of the disguises worn by bank robbers during a heist.
Zal Cleminson's first novel - Hail Vibrania, is scheduled for publication next year (2012).
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
) is a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, best known for his prominent role in The Sensational Alex Harvey Band during the 1970s.
Career
A self-taught guitarist, at the start of the 1970s he played and recorded with the Glasgow based band Tear Gas. The musicians in that band then provided the backbone for The Sensational Alex Harvey Band (SAHB). In his white-face pierrotPierrot
Pierrot is a stock character of pantomime and Commedia dell'Arte whose origins are in the late 17th-century Italian troupe of players performing in Paris and known as the Comédie-Italienne; the name is a hypocorism of Pierre , via the suffix -ot. His character in postmodern popular culture—in...
make-up, audiences could not mistake him, or his guitar solos
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
on stage with SAHB.
In 1979, he joined Nazareth
Nazareth (band)
Nazareth is a Scottish hard rock band, founded in 1968, that had several hits in the UK in the early 1970s, and established an international audience with their 1975 album Hair of the Dog. Perhaps their best-known hit single was a cover of the ballad "Love Hurts", in 1975...
and recorded two albums with them, 1979's No Mean City and 1980's Malice in Wonderland. He was a regular guitarist with UK legend Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks is an English singer, formerly a vocalist with Vinegar Joe, and later a solo artist. Elkie has been nominated twice for Brit Awards' top female singer. She is known for her powerful husky voice...
on many of her tours throughout 1980s. He also wrote and played on Brooks' album, Minutes. Cleminson has also toured and recorded with Midge Ure and Bonnie Tyler.
In 2006 he appeared in his début acting role as Wilson in the western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
film, A Shot in the West
A Shot in the West
A Shot in the West is a 2006 low budget short film shot in the rundown council estate of Drumchapel, Glasgow. The film was written, directed and edited by three friends . All sound and camera equipment was borrowed from a local community group...
, for which he wrote the theme music. In early 2008 he announced his retirement from the music industry and stated he would never perform live again.
Cleminson is referenced in the novel The Sacred Art of Stealing
The Sacred Art of Stealing
The Sacred Art of Stealing is a satirical crime novel by the Scottish writer Christopher Brookmyre. It is the author's seventh book and is a stand alone sequel to A Big Boy did it and Ran Away....
by the Scottish author Christopher Brookmyre
Christopher Brookmyre
Christopher Brookmyre is a Scottish novelist whose novels mix comedy, politics, social comment and action with a strong narrative. He has been referred to as a Tartan Noir author...
as the basis of the disguises worn by bank robbers during a heist.
Zal Cleminson's first novel - Hail Vibrania, is scheduled for publication next year (2012).