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article about Terry-York Region.com

http://www.yorkregion.com/news/artic...riters-at-home

By Teresa Latchford
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Mar 04, 2011 - 11:39 AM
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0 .Guitarist Clements helped songwriters at home
Fans will remember Terry Clements for his talent and musical status, but Darryl Bradley will also remember him as a friend.
Mr. Clements, guitarist for Gordon Lightfoot, died Feb. 20, 10 days after suffering a stroke. The 63-year-old had lived in Newmarket for more than two decades and formed many friendships here along the way.
Mr. Bradley, owner of The Arts Music Store in Newmarket, was not only Mr. Clements’ go-to guy for guitar maintenance, but the two also had a friendship that lasted 17 years.
“He was the most gracious and caring person I’ve ever met,” he said. “He was the kind of guy who had zero ego and treated everyone like an equal.”
Mr. Bradley will never forget the first time he was invited backstage at Massey Hall in Toronto for one of Mr. Clements performances. He thought it would be a hectic scene, but being part of the small crowd of family members and close friends just spoke to the type of person he truly was.
“He was just a good human being and so dedicated to his family,” he added. “He is the kind of person I would aspire to be, all talents aside.”
Mr. Clements started playing guitar at age five. After high school, he spent two years in the navy before becoming a member of Golden Sunflower, which was managed by Lou Adler, who also managed The Mamas & the Papas and Carole King, according to his biography at lightfoot.ca.
His stint with Mr. Adler included recording, producing, arranging and performing. It was his stepping stone for entering film-score work, which is how he met Mr. Lightfoot.
While working on a score for a Paramount film, the directors brought in Mr. Lightfoot for the title theme song. Right then and there, Mr. Lightfoot offered Mr. Clements a spot in his band.
While Mr. Clements declined at first, he agreed to take the place of band member Red Shea in 1970. He was flown to Toronto for an audition that led to a 30-year career with Mr. Lightfoot.
Mr. Clements had a hand in nearly all of Mr. Lightfoot’s popular tunes, including Carefree Highway, Sundown and The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
“He was always such a perfectionist in his playing,” Mr. Bradley recalls. “All the gigs I went to of his, I don’t think I ever heard him play a bum note and that’s saying a lot.”
When he wasn’t on the road, he helped songwriters in his eight-track analog studio at home.

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