The Clecky Records Story
Clecky Records was founded in Bladderpool, England in 1966 by Roger “Clecky” Davis, a brilliant, innovative recording engineer renowned for his daring use of unorthodox elements such as bird calls, glockenspiels, and the joephonium (or poor man’s theremin) in rock and roll music. At the time, Davis was recording The Mod-est Lads, a local band who were taking Bladderpool by storm with their catchy arrangements and light-hearted, often defiantly naughty lyrics. Convinced the Lads were destined for superstardom, Davis was confident they would propel his new label to a place of prominence in the recording industry and establish his credentials as an engineer and producer. He called the label “Clecky Records” after the nickname he was given by The Mod-est Lads after he told them their music was “eclectic.” Allegedly, when he made the comment, the band thought he was insulting them and gave him a thorough beating. When he finally was able to tell them what the word meant, the band had a good laugh, and from that day on he became known to everyone as Clecky.
Unfortunately, The Mod-est Lads mysteriously disappeared later that year and to this day nobody knows for sure what happened to them. Although bitterly disappointed, Davis was determined to keep Clecky Records going but was unable to find any bands that came close to matching the popularity of The Mod-est Lads. Then tragedy struck in June of 1968, when Davis lost his hearing as the result of an accident caused by fireworks that had been made by his eccentric half-brother, Sketchy, an incorrigible pyromaniac. Not only did the accident end Davis’ career as a recording engineer, but it is widely believed to have started the great fire that literally wiped Bladderpool off the map. Sketchy Davis subsequently fled to Cambodia to avoid prosecution, and a few years later founded A-1 Pyrotechnics, which today is an international conglomerate with offices in thirty-seven countries that provides comprehensive, customized solutions for contemporary pyrotechnic needs.
In March of 2003, Clecky Davis was found dead in a small, squalid cottage on one of the Shetland Islands, where he had been living in seclusion since losing his hearing. Found among his personal effects were the master tapes of five songs he had engineered for The Mod-est Lads. After listening to them, Sketchy Davis decided to revive Clecky Records as a tribute to his half-brother and released Trouser Load of Love in September of that year. Since then, Trouser Load of Love has achieved an astonishing level of international acclaim that has led many to wistfully wonder how rock and roll history might have changed had The Mod-est Lads not vanished at the height of their popularity.
Encouraged by the phenomenal success of Trouser Load of Love, Sketchy Davis established Clecky Records as a wholly-owned subsidiary of A-1 Pyrotechnics and began signing new artists. Since Sketchy’s own taste in music encompasses a variety of genres, the roster he’s assembled, appropriately enough, can best be described as eclectic. While the emphasis is on rock and roll, the Clecky Records Family of Reputable Recording Artists will sign anyone Sketchy likes, regardless of what they play. While some have questioned the wisdom of this unusual philosophy, Sketchy couldn’t care less what anyone else thinks and answers all criticism by bluntly asserting, “If I like something, it must be good. End of story.” Since he’s the boss, there’s no point arguing with him about it. It’s best to simply relax and enjoy the music.