The Clash
Ray Lowry was invited by The Clash to join them on their ' Take the Fifth ' 1979 tour of the USA, as an official artist. As the band attempted to plunge into the veins of America, Ray captured the energy and excitement of the time. The ink pen being his weapon of choice. What ensued from this collaboration of creative minds was a combination of reporting and artistry. During this time, Ray filled several sketchbooks with scrawls and explosive imagery. Using his unique style, he managed to capture these moments in time, in a way like no other preceding or subsequently.
Joe Strummer, the lead singer of the band gave Ray the nickname “ War Artist “, likening him to a war correspondent; reporting on the war on peoples psyche by “ the only band that matters “.
The images below are a select number of these pieces, originally created by a man who understood the true essence of Rock and Roll.
We will be releasing a Limited Edition Print run of carefully selected (seldom seen) images taken from the sketchbooks that accompanied Ray during his time on tour with The Clash.
The original pieces you see below are the majority of what remains in the archive of the loose sketches / watercolours that Ray created during his time with The Clash.
Over the years several sketchbooks were dissected in aid of exhibiting, sold to happy fans or were simply given to incredibly grateful friends of Ray.
