Jesse Clegg rocks Kenton
Singer discusses relationship with late father
Jesse Clegg, son of the late SA music icon, Johnny Clegg, brought some of his bestknown hits to the Goat Shed in Kenton-on-Sea on Tuesday December 19, to rock the night away with local and visiting fans at the popular eatery.
The intermittent drizzle did nothing to dampen the spirits as Clegg’s three-piece ensemble let rip under a marquee filled to capacity.
Belting out his hits, including I’ll Follow You, Fire in the House, I’m Not Ready Yet, I’ve Been Looking, Heartbreak Street and Let it Burn, Clegg provided top-class festive entertainment, as part of his SA tour.
With the sound engineer delivering some excellent acoustics, given the tightlypacked marquee, it was the teenagers in the crowd who took the initiative to get up on their feet in front of the stage to dance the night away as the older ones followed suit.
Clegg was obviously in his element to be back in the barefoot capital adding: “It’s three years ago I’ve last been in Kenton … It’s great to be back.
“We brought the rain with us again but it’s a huge blessing”, he said.
He told the audience that though he had wanted to keep his path forged in music and his father’s legacy separate, he soon realised the importance of the family dynamic — a change of mind which inspired him to undertake a musical journey he had never imagined.
“I thought I had found my way. I had my own music and I had my own path to walk, so for a long time we [he and Johnny Clegg] did not do anything musically together, because I wanted to keep those worlds separate, even though my father and I were very close.”
In 2017 his father was diagnosed with a serious illness which altered the course of events, Jesse said.
“And it is really amazing what that type of thing does to your own sense of self. I realised that I would regret that for the rest of my life, if I didn’t get a chance to make music with him — to do the thing that we both loved, together,” Clegg said.
Clegg said when his father received the news of his illness, he announced his final journey tour — his last tour around the world, “to say goodbye”.
“And we performed together on that tour; it was three continents — 50-odd shows and six months together touring.
“These were beautiful shows for me. Every show he played in every particular city was his last show in that place.”
Clegg said these shows were a mixture of “joy and sorrow”.
“It was a celebration but also a way of saying one final ‘goodbye’. It showed me the power of music, that music had the power to connect and to convey an idea, and had the effect of leaving a legacy behind which was very important for me to see.”
He said it had given them the opportunity to collaborate on other aspects of music. “The other thing we got to do was to write music together for the first time and I ended up producing and co-writing his final album called King of Time.
“This was a wonderful experience to sit in a studio for weeks and weeks to write together. We got to say things we never got a chance to say in our lives,” Clegg said.
In the build-up to performing
Looking Back, Clegg took a brief interlude to reflect on the song which was a tribute to his father and the importance of appreciating family.
“There are times in life when someone you know is important to you but you never get a chance to say that … and the moment passes. This song
[Looking Back] was a chance to say — there are things you can’t replace.
“No matter where you are or what you do, there are certain things you can’t replace, certain things that just follow you —
family is one of those things.
“Touring in December is a cool experience. We play to an audience who are spending precious time together.
“We are so grateful to be here with you. Let us celebrate for ones [family, friends] we have lost and the ones who are still here.”
Jesse Clegg is performing at the Pig & Whistle Inn on Friday January 5. Visit Ticketpro for bookings and more details.