It was George who would have the most influence on Will in his early career. George had been a player in the Muddy Waters band and pretty much took Will under his wing in those early days. They played and recorded together during the seventies. Bill recorded his first album, Hittin' Heavy in 1978. This was followed by Blues From Los Angeles in 1980, Can't You Hear Me Calling in 1983, Tip Of The Top (a tribute to George Smith who had died in 1983) in 1987, and a live album, Rockin' The Boat, in 1988.

It wasn't until 1990 though that Will signed with a label, and his first album for Alligator Records, Blowin' Like Hell, was followed in 1992 by Serious Intentions, in 1994 by Groove Time, and finally 1996's The Hard Way. By this time Bill was playing in front of more than just bar audiences, thousands of people at a time, but like so many other musicians before him, he was a terribly shy man. In order to get up on stage he was drinking a fifth of hard liquor a day.

From the description provided by Will's late wife Jeanette, it sounds like even though he was able to stop drinking after recording The Hard Way, the damage may have already been done. He bled to death in a hospital in Fresno, California.

Fortunately, Will left a treasure trove of tapes and unreleased recordings that are only now being released. Live In Germany is the second CD that Jeanette has released for public consumption and it's musically a gem. Unfortunately there's no mention in the packaging of where or when it was recorded, so you'll just have to live without those details; it might just be that this material came from a master with no concrete information except designating it was recorded in Germany.

Whatever the case may be, if this disc is indicative of William Clarke's playing, he was most definitely a force to be reckoned with as a harmonica player. I have to admit up front that when it comes to technicalities and terminology about harmonica playing, I'm totally at sea. I couldn't tell you cross harp playing from a hole in the ground.

But the harmonica is one of those instruments where that type of knowledge isn't needed to appreciate and assess the talent behind the instrument. Like its larger cousins in the woodwinds section, the saxophone, clarinet, et cetera, the harmonica in the hands of a skilled player can open up a window into its player's soul.

The cry of the harmonica cutting through the chugging of the rhythms of a song should be able to reach out and grab you by the heart and pull you into the passion of the song. Many is the time I've seen players strut their stuff with a series of staccato huffs and puffs, bending notes and blowing hard, and have been left completely unmoved. Why? Because although their technique maybe great, they aren't willing to step off the edge and surrender control to their emotions.