Gary Clark Jr. is on a tour in 2019, and his trajectory led him to the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday night for the first of three shows at the historic venue.
The 35-year-old blues rock guitarist played through a roaring set consisting of tracks from his new album This Land and other highlights throughout his career.
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Backed by a four-piece band, Clark played 20-song set capped off by his hit cover of The Beatles’ “Come Together,” which was recorded for the 2017 DC Comics film Justice League.
Scroll through to see 10 photos from Clark’s performance and learn more about the acclaimed rocker.
Clark began his life in Austin, Texas, and his career soon took shape there, as well.
He began to make his mark in the local scene as a teenager, soon regularly playing at local hot spot Antone’s.
Clark then put his guitar chops on record, recording several independent albums for label Hotwire Unlimited.
There were three releases under that label: 2001’s Worry No More, 2004’s 110 and 2010’s Gary Clark Jr. EP.
However, big names and a big label soon came knocking on Clark’s door.
In 2010, Clark released his first major label project in the form of The Bright Lights EP.
While the title cut has previously appeared on his independent self-titled EP, the revamped “Bright Lights” created loads of buzz online for Clark.
“Bright Lights” became a fan-favorite, and Clark still incorporates it into his sets nearly a decade later.
He also re-released the song on his major label debut, 2012’s Blak and Blu.
Blak and Blu was Clark’s proper coming out party in the rock world. It was acclaimed by critics, landing at the No. 27 slot on Rolling Stone’s year-end album list.
It also launched several staples in his catalog, including “Ain’t Messin ‘Round” and “When My Train Pulls In.”
Clark also engaged in some major collaborations around this time.
He appeared on Sheryl Crow’s 2010 album 100 Miles from Memphis, and also collaborated with Alicia Keys for her 2012 album Girl on Fire.
He later went on to collaborate with Foo Fighters, Childish Gambino, Tech N9ne, Tom Morello, Big K.R.I.T., Talib Kweli and ZZ Ward.
Clark followed up Blak and Blu with a live album entitled Gary Clark Jr. Live and an acclaimed sophomore release, 2015’s The Story of Sonny Boy Slim.
That 13-track effort included fan favorites like, “Grinder and “Our Love.”
Another live album soon followed in the form of Live North America 2016.
This Land came out in February and has been a roaring success for Clark.
The album combines blues, rock, R&B and hip-hop for a unique sound all its own. The album launched this successful tour, a memorable Saturday Night Live appearance and hits like “Pearl Cadillac” and the title cut.
Clark is currently on tour across the globe, with dates in Australia, Germany, Italy, the U.K. and more.
He does have a batch of U.S. dates coming, as well. He will notably play the Chicago’s Lollapalooza, New Orleans Jazz Heritage Festival, Atlanta’s Shaky Knees Festival, and the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis, Tennessee.
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