Singer-songwriter born in Bristol TN, raised in Cincinnati OH, fell in love with Grandpa's guitar and that is how this whole thing got started. At the old of age of 11, I started my first band with best childhood friend Eric Diedrichs. We would pull in a buddy to play bass and drums and called ourselves Road Riot. Playing local school festivals and backyard parties, Road Riot was becoming a hit.
After college, I began playing with Chris Underhill and he named our group Big Whiskey. Big Whiskey came from the Clint Eastwood movie The Unforgiven. Some of my best memories come from playing with Chris. We shared the stage together for roughly 5 years gigging 3-4 times per week. Chris left to start his life with wife and soon to be kids. I began to play with Brad Kelly who I had met from the music scene. Brad is a great musician, guitar player, songwriter, and we spent the next 4 years continuing from the success of what Chris and I had started. Brad and I recorded the first Big Whiskey album together in 2003 with Ryan Stephenson on drums and Jared Manker on bass.
Big Whiskey really became a full time job when I partnered up with my lifelong friend and best man Joel Cotton. We were playing 4-5 times a week and sometimes even more than that. We picked up Chris Walker to play bass and Chris Verbanic would sit behind the kit. We opened for The Guess Who, Better Than Ezra, and several other regional acts. We headlined Taste Of Cincinnati for years and performed at every local festival and music event in Cincinnati. We began recording the second album for BW.
In 2007, Chris Walker was in a terrible car accident and was paralyzed. He would spend the next few years in several different hospitals and assisted living facilities and his spirit and smile still inspire me today. Chris went to Heaven in July 2010. You can read more about Chris, the accident, and how amazing of a friend, brother, son, and musician he was on the tribute page Chris Walker
Joel and I tried to keep the Big Whiskey band thriving but it would never be the same. That same energy and passion that we had with Walker was too elusive and although we were fortunate enough to continue for several years, there just wasn't enough there to keep it going. You can follow Joel by visiting his site www.joelcotton.com He is an outstanding musician and friend and I wish him nothing but success. Our last gig together as Big Whiskey was 8/31/2012. Thank you to everyone who has ever supported our project. We were beyond blessed!!
As for me, I hope to continue to be able to play music for years to come. I'm playing original shows and will no longer be playing cover gigs. Thanks for all of the support and love over the years!!
-Clark