Terry Chimes

Terry Chimes was behind the drum kit for the first Clash album and their early gigs, however, differences with the rest of the band led to his departure before the release of the first album. He would later return in the band’s final years, and then drum for other bands. He is currently a chiropractor, practicing in London.

With The Clash

Before there was the Clash, there was the London SS. Chimes drummed for them briefly, but since the band never played a gig, he soon left. However, when Mick Jones, Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon decided to form a new group, Chimes was brought on board. He never quite fit in with the rest of the band. The other three saw their involvement in music as a way to bring about social change, while Chimes was in it to get rich and famous. One famous anecdote illustrates this point. One day, the band was in their rehearsal studio, talking about what they wanted out of the Clash. The other three had lofty, idealistic answers, such as helping give the youth of London a way out of their dreary lives. Chimes, however, matter-of-factly replied that he was in it “for a Lamborghini”. The rest of the band had known beforehand that Chimes did not share their political goals, but he was one of the best drummers in London, so they didn’t really mind. However, in the time between the recording and release of the first album, Chimes left the band. On the UK release of the first album, he would be credited as “Tory Crimes”, a tongue in cheek reference to his lack of interest in politics. He would later return, but before that, he would drum with several other well-known bands.

In Between Gigs

In 1977, Chimes briefly hit the skins for Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers after Jerry Nolan left the band. He then left the band and did session work, until he joined Generation X in 1979. He remained with them throughout 1980. Not much is known of his work during this period, as he was mainly a fill-in drummer for live shows, not appearing on the bands’ albums. His session work is mainly unaccredited. After the recording of Combat Rock, the Clash fired Topper Headon due to his heroin addiction. The Clash needed a drummer, and they asked their old standby, Terry Chimes to once more provide the beat.

With The Clash Again

Chimes agreed, and toured with the Clash in support of Combat Rock. He was there when they played Shea Stadium as a support act for the Who. He was there when they made their Saturday Night Live TV debut, playing “Straight to Hell”. After the Combat Rock tour in 82-83, he left the band, saying he could not longer deal with the infighting that had become the norm for the band. At this point, the Clash were on their way out, and Chimes got out while the getting was good.

Later

Chimes jumped from the Clash to Hanoi Rocks, who he drummed for through 1985. Then, in 1987-88, he joined Black Sabbath on their Eternal Idol tour. He has been a practicing chiropractor/acupuncturist since 1994. He is the Clinic Director of Chimes Chiropractic, located in London. He has also practiced in the People’s Republic of China, and is much in demand as a lecturer and trainer.