JONATHAN CLAUDE (AKA HARRY CORBETT)

Jonathan Claude's (born UK) artistic journey is deeply rooted in his upbringing, characterized by a rich exposure to music genres like jazz, blues, and rock, as well as a penchant for indulging in classic films on television — a pastime that endures to this day. Moreover, his fondness for the art of letter writing, which he continues to cherish, has garnered acclaim for his impeccable handwriting over the years.

Driven by a profound desire to express gratitude to departed artists for the profound joy they've imparted, Jonathan embarked on a unique endeavor: writing letters of appreciation to these luminaries. For him, there existed no compelling reason not to undertake this heartfelt gesture. Hence, the letters you encounter within his body of work serve as a testament to this ongoing dialogue between artist and muse.

"Growing up in the Midlands of England in the 1960’s, before I was a teenager, I was conscious of a revolution in the arts and in particular music.
This was clear because on the radio my earliest memories were of a Liverpool Group (The Beatles) who had a hit with 'She Loves You', which was their second number one single in Great Britain and their third hit single. Everyone was talking about it, even me and I was only five years old. As the decade progressed and the swinging sixties arrived, it was clear that this movement was far away from the Midlands of Great Britain where I resided. The swinging sixties was really a rather small movement in parts of London such as Carnaby Street or The Kings Road, and in a few other parts of the world, such as California.

On the 15th December 1969 as I left my school before I started at another one, John Lennon was performing at the Lyceum in London and in his band he had, Klaus Voorman, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Jim Gordon, Keith Moon and Billy Preston and others. It all seemed like another world. I was wondering how I might connect with it and although I played the recorder at school I figured that this would not be my passport to engage with these Titans of Music and Entertainment.

Also if you wished to be entertained on the screen you had Alfred Hitchcock and many others and a new television series had started in Britain in 1968 called 'Dads Army' which fifty six years later we are still celebrating. All of this left a deep impression in my mind.

As Britain rather was diminishing in so many ways this was not the case in the arts. To engage with these performers that have passed away but gave so much enjoyment to so many I decided that I wanted to take myself back to a point in time and write to them to celebrate their work at various moments in their lives. Not just British performers but performers from other parts of the world that are no longer with us but continue to provide absolute joy.

So you now know why I write these letters."