Gary Clark - The Savior of the Blues

By Jim Poulton

Credit: GaryClarkJr.comMany of you probably already know about Gary Clark, but I was just introduced to him. Hailing from Austin, Texas, Clark has taken the rock and blues world by storm. He was heralded by Rolling Stone as “the best young gun” and by the Seattle Weekly as “a musical force to be reckoned with, a serious songwriter and a [expletive deleted] of a guitar player,” and he deserves every accolade you could ever dream up. His guitar playing is a combination of Carlos Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robin Trower, with a solid blues foundation and overtones of rock and jazz. His licks are as tasty as a cold beer on a hot Texas day, and he’ll either soothe you with his mellow and spacious falsetto, or kick your butt with his driving, writhin’ blues.  They say that Austin’s blues scene is the best in the West. If so, Gary Clark is the best of the best.

Here are three selections for you, showing off the incredible range of his style.