Clem Burke: The Heartbeat of Blondie

Graphic by Charlotte Heintz

by Heather Thorn

Clem Burke, best known as the longtime drummer of Blondie, a band that pioneered the ‘70s New Wave movement in New York City, died on April 6, 2025 at the age of 70. 

“Clem was not just a drummer,” Blondie said in their post honoring Burke. “He was the heartbeat of Blondie.”

Blondie formed in July of 1974 yet weren’t the group as we know it until October that same year, originally billing themselves as Angel and the Snake for their first two shows. Their original lineup consisted of Billy O’Connor on drums, Fred Smith on bass, Debbie Harry on vocals, and Chris Stein and Ivan Kral on guitar. By the spring of 1975, O’Connor and Smith left the band, with O’Connor leaving the music industry altogether and Smith joining the band Television. Kral eventually left too, and joined the Patti Smith Group. Together, Stein and Harry continued the band, auditioning and eventually recruiting Clem Burke on drums and Gary Valentine on bass. Burke’s original interest was sparked by an advert placed by Harry and Stein in a magazine that sought a “freak energy” drummer.  

Although not a part of Blondie’s founding lineup, Burke played a significant part in Blondie’s greater legacy and quickly became the glue holding the group together when  Harry and Stein considered disbanding following Smith’s departure. 

Burke’s versatile, powerful, and unrelentingly thunderous drumming is a key component of Blondie’s sound across their 11-album discography. In fact, Burke and founding members Harry and Stein are the only Blondie members to appear on every studio album. Burke was an integral part of the group thanks to his reliable, dynamic, and drumming beats that jumpstarts the heartbeat of every track he’s on. 

In addition to helping define Blondie’s versatile and experimental sound, Burke was a pioneering drummer in rock and new wave. His strong stamina and unending energy while performing allowed him to keep a fast-paced rhythm at all times and never tire. 

Burke’s primary style was informed by his love of British music artists such as the Beatles, the Kinks, and the Who. The Who’s drummer, Keith Moon, was one of Burke’s biggest influences alongside his other favorites: Ringo Starr and session drummers Hal Blain and Earl Palmer. While on stage in 1978, Burke learned of Moon’s death earlier that same day and ended Blondie’s set by kicking his drums into the crowd as a tribute and yelling, “That’s for Keith Moon- the greatest drummer in the world!” 

Burke’s style was a mix of Moon’s frenzy and precise time-keeping. Like Moon, Burke played the drums with always-elevating high energy. However, Burke could contain his fervor to keep his beats steady, precise, and neat. Burke’s drumming serves as the backbone of Blondie’s sound and paved the way for Blondie’s commercial success in the United Kingdom. 

While their debut album, Blondie (1976), failed to garner initial commercial success in both the United States and United Kingdom, it later charted in Australia and the United Kingdom upon its re-release in 1977 by Chrysalis Records. Blondie finally broke into the U.S. charts with the release of their third album, Parallel Lines (1978), and its single “Heart of Glass” in January of 1979. 

Burke’s drumming influence spans far beyond Blondie. In addition, he played with a range of iconic music artists during his expansive career, ranging from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Iggy Pop, and Bob Dylan to Nancy Sinatra, Eurythmics, Go-Gos, David Bowie, the Fleshtones, Dramarama, Slinky Vagabond, the Romantics, and more. He also played alongside Sex Pistols members Glen Matlock and Steve Jones at various points in his career. In the early 1980s, Burke and Jones formed a rock supergroup named Chequered Past alongside Michael Des Barres on vocals, former Blondie bandmate Nigel Harrison on bass, and Frank Infante, who was later replaced by Tony Sales on bass. Although Chequered Past was active for only a few years, they opened for various musical acts, including Duran Duran, Little Steven, Ratt, and INXS before ending the band upon Des Barres being invited to join another supergroup, the Power Station.  

In 1987, Burke drummed for the Ramones for two gigs and even adopted the name “Elvis Ramone” following Richie Ramone’s abrupt departure. In 2004, he again played with the Ramones as Elvis Ramone on October 8th at New York Spirit Club for the benefit party “Be Well: Ramones Beat on Cancer.” The day would’ve been Johnny Ramone’s and CJ Ramone’s birthday, the former of which had died in September that same year from cancer. 

Following Blondie’s first reunion shows in 1998 at the London Lyceum, Burke struck the audience with his grinding drumbeat and proved his infinite vigor on stage. In attendance was Professor Marcus Smith, a doctor of Applied Sport and Exercise Science from the University of Chichester. In awe of Burke’s drumming abilities after seeing him play firsthand, Smith invited Burke to participate in a study that explored the psychological and physiological effects of being a rock drummer. Drumming arguably requires the most amount of physical exertion of all instruments, due to all four limbs keeping time with each other and constantly moving. Burke especially exhibited his precision and versatility while playing, seamlessly blending punk, rock, post-punk, and disco. 

Burke’s heart rate and breathing patterns were monitored across several dates of Blondie’s 1999 tour and his participation in the long-term study stretched across eight years. In 2008, Burke founded the Clem Burke Drumming Project with Professor Smith of University of Chichester and Professor Steve Draper of Hartpury University. The project’s findings explored the physical, mental, and health benefits of drummings and pioneered a better understanding of drumming’s impact on mental health with the help of magnetic resonance imaging.

Above all, Burke’s legacy lives on in his unrelenting, hard-hitting drumming in countless Blondie songs, the most revered of which are “Dreaming,” “One Way or Another,” “Union City Blue,” “Walk Like Me,” “Atomic,” “Call Me,” “Hanging on the Telephone,” “Rip Her to Shreds,” and “Heart of Glass.” In every song Burke played a part in, he evoked feelings with his powerful drumming to compliment Harry’s charismatic vocals and Stein’s flavored guitar playing. 

Burke was a force to be reckoned with. He leaves behind a legacy of five decades’ worth of music, performance, and drumming that extends beyond punk and new wave. Not only a drummer, Burke was the heartbeat of Blondie and will live on through their music for years to come.