Austin, TX · blues rock · soul

Gary Clark Jr.

1 upcoming festival

Fuzz-drenched Texas blues that keeps sliding into soul and hip-hop without ever losing the guitar — Austin's modern guitar hero at full sprawl.

Gary Clark Jr. grew up in Austin, Texas, where he began playing clubs as a teenager and was mentored within the city's blues community, including by promoter Clifford Antone. His playing is rooted in electric blues but his records move freely between fuzzed-out guitar rock, falsetto soul, reggae inflections and hip-hop-influenced rhythm.

He reached a wider audience after appearances at the Crossroads Guitar Festival, and has since recorded and performed alongside a range of established rock and blues musicians. "Bright Lights" and "This Land" are among his best-known songs, the latter addressing racism he encountered in Texas. Live, his sets lean harder on extended guitar work than the studio versions suggest.

blues rocksoul