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W.C. Clark
Biography
Guitarist, singer and songwriter W.C. Clark was one of Austin's original blues musicians, and he is considered the godfather of that city's blues scene.

Wesley Curley Clark was born and raised in Austin and grew up surrounded by music, since his father was a guitar player and his mother and grandmother sang in the choir at St. John's College Baptist Church. By the time he was 16, he played his first show at Victory Grill and was introduced to local legends T.D. Bell and Erbie Bowser. He began playing bass with Bell's band, honing his blues chops on guitar on his own time. While East Austin's club scene flourished in the late 1950s and early '60s, white students from the nearby University of Texas campus began to patronize the blues clubs, and after taking a regular gig at Charlie's Playhouse, Clark made music his full-time occupation. After six years at the playhouse, he met R&B singer Joe Tex and joined his band as guitarist.

After leaving Tex's band and returning to Austin, Clark was surprised and encouraged by the infusion of young white blues players on the local scene. Bill Campbell, Angela Strehli, Lewis Cowdrey and Paul Ray and the Vaughan brothers were attracting growing crowds to their shows and forming close bonds with the black blues players who had already been on the scene.
Selected Discography
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