There is no single word that describes her songs. It’s a mixture of thoroughly requited love and, at odd times, real aggression, but with a sense of humor that never fades. Critic Bruce Bellingham compares her work to that of Faithful, Blondie’s Debby Harry and Nico before her involvement with The Velvet Underground.
Clara grew up in a household where she was saturated in the essence of instrumentation and true musicianship. As a solidified Jazz fan, Clara's father exposed her to the musical artistry of such industry Legends who include Zappa, The Beatles, Mahalia Jackson, Bob Dylan, Fats Waller and Miles Davis. These experiences inspired Clara to pursue what would become her life's passion. She completed a ten year French Conservatory program covering Music Theory, Harmony, Piano and Tenor Recorder and is also an accomplished guitarist.
Clara performed center stage at a slew of concert and club venues along the California coastline. She played the Olympics in her hometown of Albertville, France and, from Santa Cruz to San Francisco, spent the majority of the 1990's entertaining live audiences at The Great American Music Hall, The Paradise, and more recently at Café Du Nord in San Francisco and a fantastic performance on the last Angel Island Ferry in San Francisco Bay in 2008.
She also played recent benefits in Washington, D.C., Paris and for Code Pink in Berkeley, CA. Some of these benefits include Music in Schools Today, Guitars Not Guns, Beyond the Hoop, Food Not Bombs, Toys for Tots, and the Monterey Pop Festival 40TH Anniversary with "Musicians for Peace." Clara has also worked with solid musicians including Rustee Allen (Bass), Jimi McKinney (Keyboardist) who have worked with popular artists such as Sly, the Commodores, Bobby Womack, Tower of Power, Lenny Williams etc.
In 2005, Clara released a definitive single, “Come and Stay with Me,” which was chosen to appear on an Austin-based label compilation, Juxtamusician. The following year, Clara Bellino recorded and released a twelve track studio LP, Embarcadero Love, which was recorded while Clara was living on a sailboat moored at Embarcadero Cove in the Oakland estuary of San Francisco Bay.
Over the past two years, Embarcadero Love has gone on to sell more than 2,000 copies. Already in the pre-production stages of a new single that was gifted by long-time friend Bobby Sharp (author of “Unchain My Heart”) is “Hand in Hand.” Nat King Cole was interested in this song, but fell ill before he could pursue it. It remains an unreleased classic.
Clara continues to stand out amongst the mainstream, in part to her eclectic energy, personality and ability to sing in different languages. Clara's profound talents have led her to licensing her French material to the syndicated, television program, Nash Bridges, as well as starring as a singer in the 1993, feature film, Steal America.
