The South African Rock Encyclopedia > Rock Legends > 1970s / 1980s > Clout
Clout was a South African band that gained international recognition in the late 1970s. They are perhaps best known for their cover of the song “Substitute,” originally by the Righteous Brothers. Clout’s version of “Substitute” became a hit in several countries, including the United Kingdom, where it reached number 2 in the charts.
Clout was formed in 1977, and besides their cover of “Substitute,” they released other songs like “Save Me,” “Under Fire,” and “Oowatanite.” While they might not have sustained long-term global success, Clout remains notable for their impact during the late 1970s and their memorable cover of “Substitute.”
The band formed in 1977 and was originally an all-female line up consisting of Glenda Hyam, Cindy Alter, Lee Tomlinson, Jenni Garson and Ingi Herbst. Hyam had been in an early incarnation of McCully Workshop and Pendulum. In 1978, Hyam left the band and Sandy Robbie (ex Circus) and Ron “Bones” Brettell joined. Cindy Alter would go on to form Zia and then the Cindy Alter Band while Brettell would be a member of Hotline.
South African Singles Charts
The band would be one of the very few local acts who saw international success as ‘Substitute’ (a cover of a Righteous Brother’s b-side) would get to number 2 in the UK (kept off the number 1 spot by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John’s ‘You’re The One That I Want’) and would get to 67 in the US. It would be their only hit on those charts. It would top the charts in Germany, New Zealand and what was then Rhodesia. Their other South African hits, ‘You’ve Got All Of Me’, ‘Save Me’ and ‘Under Fire, would all see chart action in various European countries.
Discography
Albums
- Substitute (LP 1978) also released simply titled “Clout“
- Six Of The Best (LP 1979)
- A Threat And A Promise (LP 1980)
- 1977 to 1981 (LP 1981)
- 20 Greatest Hits (CD 1992)
- Since We’ve Been Gone (CD 2005)
- The Best Of Clout (Streaming / Download 2018)
- Anthology (CD 2023)
Singles
- Substitute (November 1977) (The Righteous Brothers cover, not The Who song)
Springbok #1, January 1978 / When Will You Be Mine - You’ve Got All Of Me (1978)
Springbok #16, September 1978 / Feel My Need - Since You’ve Been Gone (1978) / Don’t Stop
- Let It Grow (1978) / Feel My Need
- Save Me (1979) (Clodagh Rodgers cover)
Springbok #7, March 1979 / Sunshine Baby also Ms America on some pressings - Under Fire (1979)
Springbok #19, October 1979 / Tom-Morrow - You Make My World (So Colorful) (1979) / Don’t Stop
- Oowatanite (1980) (April Wine cover) / Oh How I Long To Be With You Again
- Portable Radio (1980) (Hall & Oates cover) / Gonna Get It To You
- The Best Of Me (1980) / Gimme Love
- Wish I Were Loving You (1981) / Gimme Love
Musicians
- Glenda Hyam (née Wasmann, later Millar): vocals, keyboards (1977, 2005)
- Ilene “Lee” Tomlinson (née Du Preez, Conrad): bass, vocals (1977-78)
- Ingrid “Ingi” Herbst (later Brough): drums, vocals (1977-81, 2005)
- Cindy Alter: lead vocals, guitar (1977-81, 2005)
- Jenni Garson: guitar, vocals (1977-81, 2005)
- Ron “Bones” Brettell: keyboards (1978-81)
- Sandy Robbie: guitar (1978-81, 2005)
- Gary van Zyl: bass (1980-81, 2005)
Family Tree
See the roots and branches of Clout at The South African Rock Encyclopedia.
Lyrics
Please visit the Genius website for lyrics.
Comments
Clout won SARIE awards for Best Vocal Group 1978, Best Contemporary Music Artist 1978, 1979 & 1980 and Top 20 Artist of the Year 1978.
Clout were originally a 5-piece, all-girl group, though their cover version of an obscure Righteous Brothers’ song, ‘Substitute’ (composed by Willie Wilson), featured members of the band Circus.
The Circus musicians were paid R34 each for the arrangement and backing the session. It was just another daytime gig – pocket-money for club favourites who were making R1 200 a month each from door money. For them, backing a Clout single was just another step in their progress from Hillbrow to Hollywood. Just like Clapton playing on the Beatles White Album. It didn’t threaten their own career: their own album, In The Arena, had just been released.
Doug Gordon, May 2001
Substitute
The song was first recorded by The Righteous Brothers in 1975, however, that version would not chart anywhere. Clout’s version would be the top ranked local song for 1978. It would spend 2 weeks at 2 in the UK, stuck behind John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John’s ‘You’re The One That I Want’. In both Belgium and The Netherlands, it would manage 4 weeks at 2, denied the top spot by Boney M’s ‘Rivers Of Babylon’. Italian singer Bino would prevent the song from topping the Swiss charts as his hit ‘Mama Leone’ sat at 1. Gloria Gaynor would see her 1978 cover of the song get to 78 on The US R&B Charts, but it would not make the main Hot 100 there. In 2008 a local band called Bhelltower, which included the Springbok Nude Girls’ Arno Carstens and ex-Clout singer Cindy Alter, recorded a heavy goth-rock-ish cover.
South African Singles Charts
Produced by Graeme Beggs and first released in November 1977, ‘Substitute’ reached UK #2 for 2 weeks in August 1978 (held off the coveted #1 spot by ‘You’re The One That I Want’ by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John) and achieved top 10 status in Austria (#10), Ireland (#1), Denmark (#9), New Zealand (#1), Germany (#1), Belgium (#2), Netherlands (#2), Switzerland (#2), Zimbabwe (then known as Rhodesia) (#1) and South Africa (#1). Went to #67 in the USA for 1 week in September 1978 and stayed 10 weeks in the US charts. For a full history of ‘Substitute’ in the US and UK charts, please see Substitute Chart History.
Brian Currin
Apart from its sales in Britain (over 600 000 sales) it was in the Top 5 in France for 4 weeks (400 000 sales); No. 2 in Holland (100 000); No. 1 in Belgium (60 000); and No. 1 for seven weeks in South Africa.
Million Selling Records from the 1900s to the 1980s: An Illustrated Directory, Joseph Murrells, 1984
The Edge TV Interview
I have taped episodes 2, 3 and 5 of ”The Edge” on the then TV1, directed by Cliff Graham for the SABC (MCMLXXXVII). The script was by Gus Silber and reflected the history of South African pop music (Hawk doing ‘Orang Outang’ on stage and early Rabbitt at Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, sponsored by GAP jeans – fights and all!). In one of the episodes Cindy Alter of Clout was interviewed and the following comes out of that interview.
Graeme Beggs actually knew Glenda. Glenda was our keyboard player and Graeme had managed Glenda’s band that she was with before. She told us there’s this manager, he’s got a record company, he’d like to see you. Can I bring him around one Saturday afternoon when we’re rehearsing? And that led on to another thing. Graeme came to a few rehearsals – he liked what he saw. He saw some potential there and said “Look I’ve got a good song I’d like you to record”. And that was ‘Substitute’.
Cindy AlterMike Fuller and Clive Calder also approached Clout and said, “Please come with us we’ll make you famous” and Graeme also said, “Come with me I’ll make you famous. At that stage we went with Graeme because we were going overseas the next day. He said, “Sign the contract girls and we’ll go overseas”… so we did.
On the fact that “she hasn’t got millions and doesn’t drive a BMW or a Mercedes,” Cindy mentions that they, “…didn’t read the fine print and what ensued was not what we had expected.” She further states that, “It did become a bit of a puppet show with the grand master puppeteer raking in all the money and the poor little puppets getting put in the box at the end of the day.”
Dave Malherbe, October 1999
It is also interesting to note that according to the narrator, the fact that it came out that none of the members of Clout had actually played instruments on the single (‘Substitute’) and their places were secretly taken by an all male session band (Circus), helped lead to the “downfall of the group”.
Clout 