In short, quite possibly and I hope so! At a mere 28 years old, Gary Clark Jr. has burst into the music scene the ‘old fashioned’ way. Growing up in Austin, and already gigging in his teen years, he quickly became noticed and signed by local owner of Antone’s (joining the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughn among others), Clifford Antone. When he was 17 years old, the Mayor of Austin declared May 3, 2001 Gary Clark Day…seriously?!?! For those thousands of readers who don’t really ‘know’ me, when I was 17 the Mayor of Louisville had no idea who I was, yet, although the Louisville Metro Police Department and I were mere acquaintances, however they didn’t hold me in nearly as high regard.
In 2010, he secured a spot in the Crossroads Guitar Festival alongside such legends as B.B. King, Eric Clapton, and John Mayer. His experience continues like this to present day…being invited to play amongst other blues legends, touring, playing festivals, etc. Now go ahead and take a moment to marinate on that because tomorrow night, at our beloved Headliners, you have a chance to witness such genius. Miraculously, you can still lock in a ticket for a mere $15 and if you are a fan of blues, soul, rock, with an r&b flare and come to hear this sermon, then this opportunity of a lifetime will indeed not pass you by. What’s that? You think I’m a bit over the top? Take a number, line forms to the right, and do your own research then. A couple of fairly obscure media outlets had the following to say as well.
"Every generation has its chosen one and right now, this is Clark's time" - Entertainment Weekly
"This singer-guitarist may be the next Hendrix..." - New York Times
Photo credit: Frank Maddocks