John Cooper Clarke

John Cooper Clarke
Clarke in 2010
Born (1949-01-25) 25 January 1949
Salford, Lancashire, England
NicknameThe Bard of Salford
OccupationPoet
LanguageEnglish
Period1977–present
Spouse
Evie Clarke
(m. 1990)
Children1
Website
johncooperclarke.com

John Cooper Clarke (born 25 January 1949) is an English performance poet and comedian who styled himself as a "punk poet" in the late 1970s. In the 1970s and early 1980s, he released several albums and performed on stage with punk and post-punk bands. He continues to perform regularly.

His recorded output has mainly relied on musical backing from the Invisible Girls, which featured Martin Hannett, Steve Hopkins, Pete Shelley, Bill Nelson and Paul Burgess.