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Early Days
One Second Made the Difference
Clips from the BBC TV Programme The Trumpet Man
used with thanks to the BBC
About Clarence
A first-hand reflection from the web manager, Brian Nichols
Superficially, the story of Clarence is about one of the UK's top trumpeters losing his career at the age of 35. A freak road accident left him paralysed from the neck down. If that were all there is to the story then maybe this website would not exist. Nor would Clarence be the person he is now with the opportunities he has. Clarence's story transcends the basic facts. The real story starts after the accident. Read on to find a glimpse of why people put themselves out to support this remarkable man.
I have known Clarence since he was a very young child. Nothing has ever seemed to faze or upset him. He has been falsely accused of serious things. He has been the subject of racial abuse on many occasions. He has always refused to let difficulties get the better of him and carried on with what he was doing in a very positive frame of mind and in a very personable way. Of course, the horrors of his accident could not be foreseen but how he has taken the consequences in his stride seem true to character.
Early days
As a very young child, Clarence and three of his siblings remained in the UK when their parents returned to their native Ghana. The children were welcomed into the home of Arthur and Vera Keep, their new foster parents. They lived in a terraced house in Shoeburyness, which is at the eastern end of the Borough of Southend-on-Sea in Essex. They were both dedicated Salvationists. Arthur was the flag carrier and Vera sang in the Songsters (choir) and sometimes played the piano. They took Clarence, along with Harry, Patience and Helena to The Salvation Army. This is where Clarence was introduced to a brass band and soon as he was old enough learned to play the cornet. I had the privilege of meeting Clarence when he was just 4 years old, when I came into the orbit of Shoeburyness Corps of The Salvation Army. I was already a cornet player and it didn't seem that long before Clarence and I sat together on the cornet bench of both the Young People's and Senior bands.
Musical Development
As I was older and had been playing the cornet longer, I sat 'above' Clarence on the cornet bench. But there came a point when his exceptional skill really shone through and it did not seem right that this gifted player should sit below a duffer like me. True to character, Clarence didn't mention it all, but when I mentioned the possibility of me swapping seats with Clarence to the bandmaster, he readily agreed. 
Clarence as Deputy Bandmaster Perhaps he had noticed and didn't know how to approach the subject.
A surprise to many was when Clarence sat down at the piano and played it competently and fluently. He gave no indication that he was learning the piano - no ad-hoc performances of 'chopsticks' or anything like that. Somebody found out and asked him to play one day and that led on to him becoming pianist of choice for worship.
Back in the band, Clarence went on to become an exceptional principal cornet and I ended up as his unworthy bumper-up. He later was appointed deputy bandmaster, a duty he fitted in with his now increasing number of professional engagements. They ranged from session gigs to orchestral concerts. Names like Courtney Pine and Cliff Richard figure in his CV. There may be more. Clarence has never been one to drop names.
I think you'd be hard pressed to get jobs at the same time with English professional orchestras further apart than Tyneside and Dorset, but Clarence did. As well as being a regular with the Northern Sinfonia, he also did work for the Bournemouth Sinfonietta and Symphony Orchestra. His name and fame were spreading across the UK. Back in Shoeburyness, he accepted the promotion from deputy bandmaster to bandmaster. Perhaps I should clarify that in The Salvation Army, a bandmaster is far more than a musical director; he has full responsibility for the band, so it is not a position to be taken on lightly, and it is unpaid. But Clarence was determined to fulfil his duties to the best of his ability. 
Clarence at his graduation Clarence was kind enough to allow me to fill the principal's seat. This was an arrangement that worked well as we understood each other both personally and musically. That probably had a bearing on my being invited to fill the now vacant deputy bandmaster's position.
As Clarence's professional commitments increased, He would often be away three weeks out of four. As his deputy, I found myself in front of the band more frequently than he did. But his loyalty to the small band in Shoeburyness did not waver. He would think nothing of putting himself out to fulfil his Salvation Army duties. It was not unusual for him to appear halfway through a band practice, having driven straight down from Newcastle. He would take over the baton from me and finish the practice. He and I had only fleeting moments at the end of practice to discuss band business as he was often about embark, at 10:15 in the evening, on a 185-mile drive down to Bournemouth after a gruelling day. Of course the position I was in could have been very difficult, but Clarence backed me all the way, never overruled me, even when he didn't agree with me. The partnership worked well until I moved away from Shoeburyness in 1987.
The Accident
Clarence's intended route Clarence's brother Harry was gearing up for a wedding in August 1995 and had arranged a stag party. Along with orchestra colleague Emma Forbes, Clarence set out in his trusty black BMW to make the 300-mile journey that he had done many times from Newcastle to Shoeburyness. About one-third of the way into the journey, on the A1 near Retford, Nottinghamshire, his car flipped over. He explained his thoughts at the time to a reporter from The Journal, recorded on the North-East wiki. (PDF copy here.) Back in Essex his friends were anxious for news of him, willing him to get well. It was a devastating time as the full extent of his injuries slowly dawned. I did not believe the truth until I read the report in a Salvation Army newspaper."So it must be true" I thought to myself.
Not the End
In a radio 4 interview with Libby Purves, Clarence described his reaction to realising the results of the accident when he was in hospital: "I've got a choice, really. One is to give up and feel sorry for myself. Or the other attitude was to be positive and dust myself down and have a good crack at life and see what was possible."
So Clarence did dust himself down and has been an inspiration to all who know him or have come to know him. Yet he remains a sympathetic and unassuming as ever. When Clarence came out of hospital friends set up a trust fund for him and people from all walks of life have contributed to concerts and sponsored events to help provide Clarence with a suitably equipped home to live in and access treatment he would otherwise be denied.
Those of us who know and love Clarence are grateful for all the support from the media for helping tell his story: how his personality and utter reliance on God keeps him vibrant and positive. His work has changed, but the sphere of his influence now is much greater than it ever was. But to me, he is the same old 'Claz'.
BN