One of
my favorite African-American musicians of the contemporary scene is Gary Clark
Jr. He is a phenomenal guitar player who
combines blues and hard rock in his playing and can sing passionate soul music
and in a falsetto that sounds natural.
His biggest hit on the national scene was performing the cover of “Come
Together” for the Justice League movie. However,
he has quite a career, dealing with everyday issues such as relationships,
dealing with racial tension and other social justice issues like hunger. His song “This Land,” off the album of the
same name, released last year, was inspired by an encounter with a white person
who didn’t believe he could own his Austin, TX ranch simply due to his skin
color. Gary Clark Jr. responds to the
racist slurs aimed at him in his song with, “F*** you, I’m American, son. This land is where I come from.” His version of Come Together also impressed
Ringo Starr, who featured a live version of it in his 80th Birthday
celebration this year.
Clark’s
playing style is reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix, and he even made a medley of
Third Stone From The Sun on one of his albums.
He tends to favor a bluesy sound with less feedback, making him an
easier listen, and creates very entertaining music that also has a message that
will hopefully help lead to racial equality.
I know for sure I always feel like I’m doing something positive when I
buy a song Gary Clark Jr. made or played on.
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