- W. C. Clark
Infobox Musician
Name = W. C. Clark
Img_capt = W. C. Clark (1996)
Img_size =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Wesley Curley Clark
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1939|11|16
Died =
Origin =Austin, Texas , USA
Instrument =guitar
Genre =Blues , R&B
Occupation =Singer ,Guitarist
Years_active = 1970 – Present
Label =Black Top Records Alligator Records
Production =
Associated_acts =
Influences =
URL = [http://www.wcclark.com/ wcclark.com]W. C. Clark (born Wesley Curley Clark on
November 15 1939 inAustin, Texas ) is a legendary musician known as the "Godfather of Austin Blues" for his influence on the Austin blues scene since the late 1960s.W. C. was raised in his native hometown of Austin, where he sang gospel in the choir as a young boy. In the early 1950s at age 14 he first learned the guitar, and then later experimented with blues and jazz on the bass guitar.
By the early 1960s, he began attracting the attention of such Texas blues performers as
Big Joe Turner ,Albert Collins andLittle Johnny Taylor .In the late 1960s, he joined the
R&B Joe Tex Band, and left Austin, where he thought the R&B scene had died. But during a tour with the band back through Austin, W.C. sat in on bass with younger Austin localsJimmie Vaughan and Paul Ray at an East Austin club. After the session playing with Vaughan and Ray, W.C. changed his mind about Austin.He left Joe Tex two weeks later and moved back to Austin, where he then remained to guide and inspire numerous Austin musicians and lay the foundation of the prolific Austin blues and rock scene of the 1970s and later.
In the early 1970s, W. C. formed an Austin blues quintet named
Triple Threat Revue , with membersStevie Ray Vaughan andLou Ann Barton . He also formed several bands with various names, which also included as membersJimmie Vaughan andAngela Strehli .In 1975, Clark formed the W. C. Clark Blues Revue. Through the 1980s that band played venues with international greats such as
James Brown ,B.B. King ,Albert King ,Freddy King ,Sam and Dave ,Elvin Bishop andBobby Blue Bland .By the early 1980s W.C. had taught future rock prodigy brothers
Charlie Sexton andWill Sexton how to play guitar, while they were still young boys.In 1990 W. C. appeared on the
PBS music television programAustin City Limits , with his group W. C. Clark Blues Revue, from a show tapedOctober 10 ,1989 , in celebration of his 50th birthday, along with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan andKim Wilson ofThe Fabulous Thunderbirds , Lou Ann Barton, Angela Strehli and his former protege, Will Sexton. [ [http://www.pbs.org/klru/austin/artists/program353.html Stevie Ray Vaughan followed by W. C. Clark Blues Revue] , Austin City Limits, 1990]In March 1997, on the eve of Austin's
South by Southwest music festival, as Clark and his band were returning from a show inMilwaukee , their van, driven by Clark, veered off the highway and down a steep embankment nearSherman, Texas , injuring his arm and killing his fiancee Brenda Jasek and his drummer, Pedro Alcoser, Jr. [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=list&p_topdoc=11] Lover's Plea followed, containing the single "Are You Here, Are You There?" in memory of Jasek. [http://weeklywire.com/ww/08-03-98/austin_music_feature1.html]References
Discography
*1987 "Something for Everybody" (Drippin' DR-1001) (LP; under the name W.C. Clark Blues Revue)
*1994 "Heart Of Gold" (Black Top BT-1103)
*1995 "Texas Soul" (Black Top BT-1131)
*1998 "Lover's Plea" (Black Top BT-1145)
*2002 "From Austin With Soul" (Alligator ALCD 4884)
*2004 "Deep In The Heart" (Alligator ALCD 4897)ee also
*
Music of Austin External links
* [http://www.wcclark.com/ Official website]
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