Clem Tholet (1948 – 6 October 2004) was a Rhodesian folk singer who became popular in the 1970s for his Rhodesian patriotic songs.He reached the height of his fame during the Rhodesian Bush War.
Clem was born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia in 1948 and began writing songs while he was an art student in Durban, South Africa. One of his first songs, Vagabond Gun was a category winner in the South Africa Music Festival in 1966. Clem later moved back to Rhodesia to work in advertising. He started singing at Rhodesia’s first folk venue, The Troubadour in Salisbury’s Angwa Street. While performing there, he met Sue Eccles and Andy Dillon. The three formed a trio called The Kinfolk. The group moved to South Africa, and shortly after moving to Johannesburg, Sue left the group.
Clem and Andy formed a new group with Yvonne Raff, which they called The Legend Trio. This new trio began singing at the original Southern African “Troubadour”, and were also involved in a number of SAFMA’s National Folk Fests.
Clem married Jean Smith (daughter of Rhodesian prime minister Ian Smith) in 1967.
