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Writer's pictureKate Clarke

Those Clarke Boys

Updated: Nov 14, 2022

I may have said this before, I lose track. When Terry's son, Joseph, visited us, there was a ritual. They would come into the house, chattering away, Terry having picked Joseph up from the station. We would say our hellos, then Joseph would take Terry's Fender acoustic off the wall and sit on one side of the table, noodling away while Terry talked. Joseph had

a guitar in his hand as often as other young people have a phone in theirs. And then he would say: "Ready, dad?" Terry would put down his smoke, pick up his 12-string Guild and start into Don Gibson's Oh Lonesome Me, taking the vocals and rhythm, while Joseph played the required fancy stuff around him. Then, when it came to an end they would segue into Have I Told You Lately That I Love You? Not the Van Morrison one, but the Elvis song, written by Scotty Wiseman.....always those same two songs. Terry would give Joseph two solos in both, for the pleasure of hearing him play. Joseph played a very convincing Scotty Moore. He played a very convincing Hank Garland....Tal Farlow...Carlos Jobim.....you name it. Terry would watch me, watching Joseph. Joseph would watch me, watching Terry. The two of them were always entirely plugged into each other. They glowed. I wish you could have been there.



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