“It was Clarkin alone who fed the band, writing the entirety of Magnum’s catalog and admitting in 2002 that he thought of little else”: Remembering Tony Clarkin, the driving force behind a British rock institution

The late Tony Clarkin of Magnum performs onstage at High Voltage Festival in London, 2010.

An insatiable songwriter, evocative guitarist and far warmer interviewee than his inscrutable dark glasses would suggest, it was Tony Clarkin’s role as the driving force behind Magnum that sustained the band he co-founded in 1972 for a half-century, even through the periods when their brand of prog-tinged melodic rock fell from favour. 

In the end, the release of 23rd album Here Comes The Rain in January – just five days after his death aged 77, following diagnosis with a rare spinal condition – was the one band commitment that Clarkin missed over a lifetime’s service.