Claire In 1972

At My Cottage in worsall

Here I am posing in the garden next to my cottage in Worsall, Yarm, Teesside. I rented it for the princely sum of £6 per week from the lovely family who lived in the nearby farmhouse. It was quite remote and I didn't drive in those days. The buses ran twice on  Wednesday and twice on Saturday  so that you could get to the market in Yarm.

A photo of claire

taken by her daughter isadora austin

Brunette again

Hiding behind my hair

Eva Cassidy's recording of my song had just been released and I was as surprised to hear it as everyone else! I was getting noticed again after many years in the back waters and it felt uncomfortable to me. So I dyed my hair brown and tried to disappear. This is another picture taken by my daughter, Issy. I think it was 2005/6

Claire in 1981

A glass of beer by the thames

I got married in 1980, to Nick Austin,  boss of Beggars Banquet records. In the evening we'd often go for a beer to The Bell on the river Thames in Chiswick ,where we lived. I expect it's just as popular now as it was in those days.I remember those earrings,I wore them on the Number the Brave tour that I did with Wishbone Ash!

Not really a picture

More like a wrapper!

I recently found this crumpled picture and just couldn't throw it away,maybe I should have! The funny thing is that fan, John Rogers recently uploaded the same one to my  Facebook fans page. His copy is in much better condition than mine! Gosh! How ever did I walk in those shoes ?

Singing with John Themis

the goblins of Sherwood

John was signed to Nick Austin's Coda record label and  brought out a lovely instrumental album of guitar music.I was invited to sing a couple of bars of vocals on it.I treated myself to a new outfit to do the photo shoot .I walked into a shop in New Bond Street and asked the assistant to help me choose something.The whole outfit was cream silk and cost £100 including the Missoni scarf round my waist.The shoes were snakeskin and cost £95.how about that for memory? John went on to become Boy George's musical director and producer.