Claire Hamill Interview

This morning I had the pleasure of talking with Claire Hamill about her career Renaissance with result of her recent album, A House Among The Trees.

Jws morning Claire lovely Go talk with you How are you today?

CH I'm very well thank you john, Ready for you call with a coffee by my side what questions do you have fir me today?

Jws Well I've just read the review of you show in st Leonards in prog magazine.

Ch I’Ve not seen that yet is is ok ?

Jws Yes he seemed to have liked it.

CH When he interviewed me he said I was like a modern day Barbara Windsor personally I'd have said more like Gracie Fields myself. I mean Barbara was southern whereas I'm from the North East and proud of it.

Jws Durham isn't it or is it Middlesbrough?

CH Middlesbrough, Where Paul Rogers comes from, the finest rock singer the UK has ever produced, a remarkable singer.

Jws Indeed but he's made a few poor albums in his time.

CH that's because he's not a good songwriter, he at his best in a band really.

Jws that part of the world has given us some wonderful music over the years, Paul Rogers, Chris Rea, David Coverdale to name just a few. I

Ch It was very sad when Chris Rea died just before Christmas last year all of Middlesbrough were gutted by that loss, Mind you he'd not been well for a long time, He loved his food you see, He was from an Italian family and they love their food and drink and I think he might have been a bit excessive when he was younger, When success came he could afford all these trappings and I think he probably did, frequently and possibly excessively.

Jws zi saw him supporting Eric Clapton in the 1980's he was excellent thus was well before his big success though.

So how it brings going since I saw you in Camden?

CH It's all being going really well, the band are brilliant,

Jws Weĺ they were excellent in Camden when I saw you, the band are excellent and your guitar player Sean is excellent really talented he is real find isn't he?

CH Yes Sean is very good indeed he is also very down to earth and unassuming he is great to have with me, as indeed are the vall

Jzws I Didn't realise that Sonny flint was the son of legendary 60's drummer Highie Flint?

CH Yes ut quite remarkable his dad is still around and comments on social nedia at times

I went to Denmark as my daughter and her husband have just moved to an island off Copenhagen, There are 27 islands that make up Denmark, a population of just 5 million folks we have 70 million here in the UK.

Jws I went to Denmark in the 90's when I worked for the shipping company Maersk they have their headquarters in Copenhagen its great place to visit, very expensive though, I believe their health are is excellent and free.

CH Yes, whilst i was there my daughters husband who is Danish went to the local store for a few bits, Tea Coffee Milk biscuits and a few other bits it cost £75 so yes costly but a good standard of living for all.

Jws A but different to living in the UK then?

CH Yes when I arrived back to Gatwick and the plane landed on a bumpy runway I said to the lady next to me Oh back in zbritain again I see.

Jws Youur career took an upswing when Eva Cassidy covered your song You Take My breath Away didn't it?

CH Yes it certainly did and sadly I can't never thank her fully (Eva Cassidy died in November 1996 from Melanoma an aggressive form of skin cancer) but sher coverage gave me a whole new level of recognition and a new market for my songs and back catalogue, I can't thank her enough for that sadly.

Now though we have the issue of AI to think about, a friend sent me some tracks of songs he'd written and he'd used an AI programme to make these songs come out fully formed but it wasn't even him singing them! What's that all about? I think the musicians union and PRS need to do something about this otherwise musicians will be redundant again.

Jws I did an interview with a Dutch guy who had a severe stroke in his 30's and using Ai has allowed his creativity to be heard, he uses his eyes to talk to his computer much as Stephen Hawking used to, He's made an album called Locked In which is about his own Condition of being locked inside his own body unable to communicate, its quite a remarkable album really.

CH Well in that scenario AI is fine what's his name!

Jws Dick Van Der Heijde.

CH Its very interesting as lot of people have said to me How do I get my music heard? Obviously AI is going to make that even harder for musicians now

CH I tell them to get out and play for a crowd, It is the only way to make that happen as you need the feedback and excitement of a crowd to energise you and inspire you.

Jws So what's next for you Claire another album ?

CH Well I always wanted to be on the stage, As when I was a child I appeared in a stage play I was i think 12, This was in Staithes where we lived, my father did Ameuter Dramatics and I got a role and I loved the attention, Being the oldest child meant I was overlooked at times with the attention being on the babies in the family, Being on stage got me the attention I was lacking, Although recently I was asked to be in a musical and whilst the songs were fine I couldn't remember my lines so maybe a stage career is not really for me after all.

CH As regards another album its a possibility if Sonny is prepared to do it again, I have songs written, I write all the time, I wrote a few words this morning. I am always writing, watching and commenting on things I see or hear.

Sonny of course could easily be asked to work with other people, His star is definitely on the rise at present.

Jws So no big regrets then career-wise?

CH The only regret I have is that I alllowed my marriage to fall apart, That affects everyone somehow and whilst I allowed their father to see the girls, Who i must are all happily married to fine men these days, I coukd have handled all that far better.We are still on friendly terms which is good life is too short to be anything otherwise I feel.

Jws I agree fully, Since my stroke and dementia diagnosis I've realised that best thing is to be grateful for what I have now, I have a wonderful wife now who is 100% supportive of me and my efforts, we go to an art group every week which we greatly enjoy i have a lot to be grateful for really. I could be much worse off, I have friends who've had strokes and they are much worse than I am, I feel a sense of gratitude is important for me in living today.

CH Yes i have all my interests aside from music, I have my choir, My gardening my family nearby to me, As you say a lot to be grateful for.

I feel very sad when politicians start attacking traditional family values, Nigel Farage and the rest, all millionaires who are not in touch with the common man at all, I think one issue we do have is unmarried mothers, Children need a father who is there for them as they grow up.

Jws I agree my daughter has a son who is just one and she spends all the day interacting with him, he sees a bit if television but its mainly just background,she talks to him and he is all the better for that closeness and his development is all the better because of how is being taught.

Jws Anyway Claire My time has gone So I will end by saying Thank you for talking with me today, I look forward to hearing more new music in the future and hopefully our paths will cross somewhere along the road, Thank you.

CH Thank you john take care of yourself and send me the name of that chaps album if you would thank you for talking with me this morning its been great.