Gary Lee Clark Jr., born on February 15, 1984, in Austin, Texas, began playing the guitar at the age of 12. Throughout his teen years, he performed at small venues and met promoter Clifford Antone, who helped propel him into Austin’s music scene. From there, he began performing with other artists and eventually recorded a bonus cover track of the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” for Sheryl Crow’s album. In 2010, Clark’s performance at the Crossroads Guitar Festival in Bridgeview, Illinois, propelled him to stardom. Eric Clapton, who headlined the festival, personally invited Clark to play and the rest was history. In 2011, he was declared “Best Young Gun” by Rolling Stone magazine and recorded with Alicia Keys on two separate occasions.
Clark went on to feature on more artists’ songs and produce his own music. He released his debut album Blak and Blu in 2012, The Story of Sonny Boy Slim in 2015, and This Land in 2019 for which he won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album, while the title track won Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance. He has also appeared in various film and television roles, including 2007’s Honeydripper, 2014's Chef, an episode of Friday Night Lights, NCIS: New Orleans, Luke Cage and others.
Over the years, Gary Clark Jr. has received numerous awards, including many Austin Music Awards and Grammys in the Rock, Blues, and R&B categories.
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