Richard Clapton, one of Australia’s foremost singer/songwriters, paved the way for subsequent generations of songwriters to write about the experience of being Australian. He grew up in Sydney in the 1960s before hopping a plane for London and later to Germany, where he wrote his first album, Prussian Blue (1973), one of the first prominent Australian “singer-songwriter” albums.

One of the most popular songs from Prussian Blue was “I Wanna Be A Survivor.” I doubt he imagined then how true that message would be. His songs are still omnipresent on the radio to this day, and his records chart the nation’s political landscape and the turbulent lives of two generations.

Like Americans Jackson Browne and Bruce Springsteen, Richard Clapton developed a sound based on melodic rock. His lyrics were poetic musings on his or his nation’s state of mind.
By 1975, when he released his highly acclaimed No.1 hit Girls On The Avenue, Clapton had set the themes he would explore for the coming decades.

Over the following years, there were many hits, including the perennial favourites: Capricorn Dancer, Deep Water, I Am An Island and many more. Richard mastered the most difficult of show business acts – the highwire that requires balancing radio-friendly tunes and candid, from-the-heart lyrics. He mentored younger artists like Jimmy Barnes, INXS, and Cold Chisel. In 1981, INXS had him produce their second album, Underneath the Colours. They remain firm friends to this day.

Since his first album in 1973, Richard has shown no signs of slowing down. He has released over twenty albums, which have sold over one million copies. He is the only rock artist to have received an Australia Council arts grant, which enabled him to travel around the world writing new songs based on his experiences.

In 1999 he was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, and in 2014, his first memoir, “The Best Years of Our Lives”, was published by Allen and Unwin. The book connected with people of all generations because it was a story of Clapton’s journey and documented the lives of thousands of fans who had travelled the same road. Young people – fascinated by how it was “back in the day” also became a new generation of fans. The book continues to flourish, resonating with many people in many ways.

In 2021, Richard is releasing his first cover album, Music Is Love (1966-1970). This timely homage to the music of peace, love, and understanding, tunes of the American hippies from the late 1960s, and Richard Clapton’s unique versions of songs recorded by The Byrds, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Bob Dylan, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, The Band, Lovin’ Spoonful, and more, sung as only Richard can.

It is time for these songs to be resurrected lest they and the message they bear are lost for all time, and who better than Australia’s favourite hippie, Richard Clapton?

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