If you know your Clash history, you’ll probably be familiar with this story. For the uninitiated, this is the story of The Clash playing their first show in the U.S., and their unexpected opening act, Bo Diddley.
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The Clash were getting pretty popular in America in the late 1970s, but they had still gone through a string of unfortunate luck that started with the release of their second album, Give ‘Em Enough Rope. They had been forced to use Sandy Pearlman as a producer, who gave the album more of a radio-friendly sound. While the band was still gaining traction in the U.S., the album wasn’t doing as well as the record label had hoped.
The band was in debt to their label, CBS Records, and had just fired their manager, Bernie Rhodes. According to a report from Ultimate Classic Rock, Joe Strummer and Mick Jones were also struggling to write new music. Everything led to The Clash hiring Caroline Coon as their new manger. She was bassist Paul Simonon’s girlfriend, but she knew how to listen to the band and fight for what they wanted. She was ultimately responsible for securing funding for the U.S. tour when the record label didn’t want to cover it.
With a New Manager, The Clash Secured a U.S. Tour in 1979
The Clash’s first U.S. show was in Berkley, California on February 7, 1979. They played at the Berkley Community Theatre, which had already seen big names come through like Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix. Caroline had secured the funding for the tour by convincing the band’s U.S. label, Epic, to finance the trek.
Apparently, while planning the tour, Strummer and Simonon wanted Bo Diddley to open for them, and Caroline paid Diddley up front to join The Clash on their U.S. tour. Diddley, for his part, was allegedly a little confused by the offer. As Ultimate Classic Rock reported, Bo Diddley wasn’t initially a fan of how loud The Clash played. Still, he agreed to join them on tour, and the band was both thrilled and shocked.
“In the flesh, he was more awe-inspiring than we could possibly imagine,” said Strummer to Q at the time of the tour. “He dressed like he was ready to fight. He always had his huge sheriff’s hat on and a giant belt buckle, and you were unmistakably in the presence of someone who gave no quarter.”
The Clash and Bo Diddley quickly became close on the tour, though. This was helped along when they all ended up sharing a tour bus rented from another music legend, none other than Dolly Parton.
Featured Image by Ed Perlstein/Redferns/Getty Images
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