Cleo Wallis

Wallis in 1974.

**Clementine Audrey Wallis** (born 12 August 1944) is an American musician, best known as founder, drummer and singer for The Mansa Musas and drummer for Flyford Favell. She is noted for her unique style of playing.

Wallis grew up in Brooklyn, New York City, and began drumming in the late 1950s. After playing in a number of bands in the downtown music scene in New York from the age of 16, Wallis joined garage-rock band The Optics. Following the breakup of The Optics in 1967, Wallis co-founded rock band Flyford Favell with Al Hickey, Lawrence Flynn and Charlie Sara, and they were signed to Screw Kathy Records the following year. Wallis is recognised for her drumming style, which emphasises drum fills and an extensive range of sounds, including congas, timpani and a gong. Throughout her time with Flyford Favell, Wallis' drum kit steadily grew in size. Wallis occasionally collaborated with other musicians, including Sara even after the tumultuous breakup of the band. She founded punk band The Mansa Musas with guitarist and friend Sylvia Thunder during her tenure in the Flyford.

A mostly self-taught drummer, Wallis was influenced by jazz musicians such as Max Roach and Gene Krupa, and later contemporaries like Keith Moon and Ginger Baker.

## Early life and career

Wallis was born to grocer Lloyd Wallis and midwife Marie Cole in Brookyln, New York City. She was the youngest of three children. Her father was a hobbyist drummer, and Wallis has expressed the importance of this - and later, her father's willingness to allow her to use his drum kit - as instrumental in her development as a musician. She began drumming at 14, and although she never took any formal drum lessons, she received advice from her father and his friends. While at school, Wallis drummed in various student groups.

By 16, Wallis had already begun playing in clubs, sneaking in despite her age. She was involved in various groups throughout the early 1960s, playing for a number of garage rock, avant-garde, blues and proto-punk groups. She eventually joined The Optics in 1964 as their drummer. It was during this time that she met Charlie Sara. The pair formed a working friendship in this time. While performing with The Optics, Wallis met Al Hickey and Lawrence Flynn, who approached her about putting together a group. At the time, she declined. Wallis played almost exclusively with The Optics until their breakup in 1967.

## Flyford Favell

*Main article: Flyford Favell*

With the breakup of The Optics, Wallis reconnected with Hickey and Flynn, with whom she had kept loose contact over the months since they met. In that time, they had moved towards playing electric music, away from the traditional folk they had played together when she had first met them. Hickey had picked up bass guitar, away from his original acoustic guitar. In 1982, Wallis stated this development as her reason for being open to joining them:

> "Al and Lawrence - when we met, they played folk, pretty much exclusively. I don't think you can make a band out of two guys and two guitars and shoehorn a rock drummer in there. And I didn't want to play folk. Or not if I didn't think I could do something with it. I mean, I liked folk, but you know...Flynn and Hickey are hardly Simon and Garfunkel. Al Hickey isn't Bob Dylan, (laughs) however much he likes to think he is. Then I saw them later, and Lawrence had this big, shiny Rickenbacker and Al had picked up this old bass from the flea market, and I was interested. They sounded pretty good. I knew I could make them sound great."
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Still, her initial apprehension led to her inviting Sara to their first session together, which ultimately led to the formation of the band's lineup.

During her time with Flyford Favell, Wallis' drumming was noted by critics and bandmates as a key element to the success of the group. Sara always arranged songs to emphasise her drumming, and Flynn would state in 1992 that he always thought the band could survive without any of them except Wallis. During her tenure with the band, Wallis began songwriting, at first aided by Flynn, and later, on her own. On their first album, Wallis wrote "The Ram", a six-minute drum solo. She would co-write "Tomorrow" on *The Black Bull of Norroway* with Flynn and her first solo lyrical composition, "Sine Qua Non", was also included, sung by Hickey. It would not be until *Sordid Realities* in 1972 that Wallis would contribute lead vocals, which she did for her composition "Across The East Sea". She was at first apprehensive, but was encouraged by Flynn. The song was noted as a standout of the first side of the album and recognised for her development as a songwriter. Her vocals would later come to define the Mansa Musas' sound.

Wallis has always stated her enjoyment of live performance. On Flyford Favell's first tour in 1969, Wallis would grow especially close with Flynn during a visit to Flynn's home village in England. She would also later state that the 1970/1971 UK/US tour was her favourite of any dates they played.

Tensions rose within the band in 1971, particularly between Sara and Hickey, and during this time, Wallis founded the Mansa Musas. Wallis and her family cared for Flynn after his overdose on 3 March 1972. She has also admitted that after the incident, she would harbour resentment for Hickey, who introduced Flynn to Jared McKernan. McKernan and Flynn's friendship has been linked extensively to Flynn's heroin addiction. With Wallis unwilling to work with Hickey and with Flynn's desire to retire from music altogether, Flyford Favell broke up.

## The Mansa Musas

*Main article: The Mansa Musas*

Wallis founded the Mansa Musas in 1971 with friend and guitarist Sylvia Thunder. While principally drumming for Flyford Favell, the Mansa Musas began slowly building its members. The band was founded in London - Wallis would travel regularly between Los Angeles and London with Thunder and enjoyed having a group to play with while she was there. The original lineup included Wallis and Thunder, as well as Mina Powell (bass guitar), Ivan Kessler (keyboards until 1973), Valentina Kessler (rhythm guitar) and Angus Baker (co-lead vocals and keyboard from 1973). All members provided backing vocals to Wallis and Baker. It wasn't until the breakup of Flyford Favell in 1972 that Wallis would pursue the band professionally. She relocated to London, and they were quickly signed to SK Records and released their first album, *The House of Neptune* in 1973.

Although initially apprehensive during her time with Flyford, Wallis would quickly come into her own as a lead vocalist. Thunder would state that she was always "amazed with her stamina", often playing rigorously while maintaining lead vocals. Wallis would downplay this, suggesting that the reason the vocals in the Mansa Musas were so loud - noted by some critics as almost reminiscent of heavy metal - were because she couldn't do much more than shout. The Mansa Musas quickly gained cult notoriety, and although were often poorly received critically and commercially at the time, retrospective reviews rate them especially highly. Sara would also note his enjoyment of the band, though Wallis would suggest that this wasn't much of a compliment, given that "Charlie would say a car backfiring had 'interesting texture'".

When Angus Baker, co-lead vocalist and keyboardist, died suddenly in July of 1980, the band agreed to breakup out of respect. Wallis would take a break for the next ten years, instead focusing on her young family, although she did provide session work for various artists.

The Mansa Musas would reform in March 1990, releasing a surprise album, *Time Thief*. The band did not replace Baker, nor did they replace Kessler, who did not return. They enjoyed a moderately successful career in the 90s, before finally disbanding in 1999. Wallis has continued as a session drummer over the last twenty years.

## Personal life

Wallis is bisexual. She had a brief relationship with bandmate Sylvia Thunder in the early 1970s. The two separated amicably in 1975. Wallis married music journalist Sam Khan in June 1977. Her daughter, Nola Sophia Khan, was born in 23 September 1978. She notoriously continued drumming with her band during her pregnancy, her final performance before the birth being 20 July, after which she “could no longer reach the kit”. Her son, Angus Ravi Khan, was born 13 April 1981. Wallis and Khan live in London.

Wallis has maintained a close friendship with Lawrence Flynn since the 1960s. She shared in 1982 that Flynn was one of the reasons she'd decided to relocate to London. They kept in close contact even during Flynn's seclusion, and the only photographs of Flynn between 1972 and 1992 that did not originate from his personal collection was from Wallis' 1977 wedding. Wallis jokingly referred to him as her "maid of honour".