Clive Bunker

Clive William Bunker (born 30 December 1946) is a British rock drummer. He was the original drummer in the British band Jethro Tull. Never the self-professed technical drummer, Bunker made his technique based on his throbbing, gritty engagement with the essence of blues and rock and roll, in the same vein as Ginger Baker and Mitch Mitchell. He was inspired by Buddy Rich and The Hollies' Bobby Elliott.

Bunker was born in Luton, Bedfordshire, and played in his first band The Warriors in the 1960s. With Mick Abrahams he later formed the band known as McGregor's Engine. In this early career, playing in small venues, Bunker had an extraordinary non-matching drum kit, composed of bits and pieces of various manufacturers’ equipment.

Between 1967 and 1971 he drummed for Jethro Tull, leaving after Tull's release of their most popular album to that date, Aqualung, to get married and spend more time with his new wife. He was replaced by Barriemore Barlow, a school friend of the group's singer/songwriter Ian Anderson. On his decision to leave Jethro Tull at the height of its commercial success, Bunker stated:

"I had always told Ian, 'If I find the right lady, I'll be gone,' and I did just that. That was just at the start of their world touring in '72, and I wouldn't have been back in England for ages at a time. So I thought that I might as well end it then. Besides, Barrie was always in the background anyway, so I knew I wasn't going to put them in a difficult situation. You must understand that back then, we didn't have any time off; it was non-stop work, and I wanted to spend time with my wife."

• Clive Bunker bio at TullPress.com

After his time with Jethro Tull he played with Blodwyn Pig, Robin Trower, Jude, Steve Howe, Jeff Pain (aka Dicken, formerly of the UK band Mr Big), Manfred Mann, Jack Bruce, Gordon Giltrap, Anna Ryder, Uli Jon Roth, Electric Sun, Steve Hillage, Vikki Clayton, Solstice, Glenn Hughes and Jerry Donahue.

With former band mate Jack Lancaster, from Blodwyn Pig, Bunker founded Aviator. The band released two albums.

Bunker's debut solo album, Awakening, was released in 1998.

With Jethro Tull

• This Was (1968)
• Stand Up (1969)
• Benefit (1970)
• Aqualung (1971)
• Living in the Past (1972 compilation - includes unreleased songs)
• Nothing Is Easy: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 (2004)
• Live at Carnegie Hall 1970 (2015)

Steve Hillage

• 1978 : Green : On the 2007 reedited version, Clive plays drums on one song recorded live at The Rainbow in 1977 : "Not Fade Away (Glid Forever)

With Aviator

• Aviator (1979)
• Turbulence (1980)

With Electric Sun' Uli Jon Roth

• Beyond the Astral Skies (1985)

With Manfred Mann's Earth Band

• Soft Vengeance (1996)

Solo

• Awakening (1998)
• Diving in the Past (2005)