Ellen Foley promised to perform two Clash songs at her recent New York City show. She said upfront one of them was ‘Hitsville UK’. It turned out the other was ‘Torchlight’ and it was equally hers as theirs.
‘Torchlight’ was written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones of The Clash but it was recorded by Ellen Foley.
Ellen’s second album ‘The Spirit of St Louis’ was almost entirely written by Strummer and Jones. The four members of The Clash, Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, Paul Simonon and Topper Heddon, were Ellen’s backing band on the album. Mick Jones also produced the album.
‘Spirit of St Louis’ was released in March 1981. The album was recorded immediately after The Clash’s ‘Sandinista’ but released four months after ‘Sandinista. Ellen’s first album ‘Night Out’ was released in June 1979. That one was produced by Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson and came two years after her work with Meat Loaf on ‘Bat Out Of Hell’. Ellen’s is the female vocalist on ‘Paradise By The Dashboard Light’.
Ellen performed at The Cutting Room in New York on 26 May to launch her new album ‘Fighting Words’.
Ellen will perform the songs of Ian Hunter with Australia’s Tim Rogers and Alejandro Escovedo and The Rant Band with Friends on 17 and 18 June ay City Winery in New York City.
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