Clay Black

Legend has it that Lou Reed and Brian Wilson once went on a road trip together.

Driving north along the California coast, the two artists took in the sights, passing through the Redwoods of Muir Forest, into the leafy environs of Seattle, and up through the snowy terrains of Canada. Lou did most of the driving. 

Along the way, they shared music. Each had brought cassette tapes to play to the other.  

Lou had brought one such tape. The cassette lacked its own case, only identifiable by two hand-written words on its label, penned hard with a blue ink marker: CLAY BLACK.

On the flip side of the cassette, scrawled in another hand, were the words, "songs for over thinkers and underliners".

If Reed and Wilson talked of the origins of CLAY BLACK at all, they would have assumed it was the work of yet another struggling, unsigned band. There were a lot of those back then. 

But the soaring harmonies and memorable hooks of CLAY BLACK stood out and complemented their journey. The well worn tape was played often. 

But -- like the road trip itself, the cassette and the history of CLAY BLACK, became lost to time. Until recently...

Through a series of happenstances, good luck and the generosity of strangers, the cassette was returned to the family of Clay Black. 

Particularly struck by CLAY BLACK was grandson Michael. Immediately appealing to him were the choruses -- expansive and anthemic. In contrast were the verses -- intimate and observational. Big choruses. Small details...

While the songs reminded Michael of other music he enjoyed -- shades of Beck, John Lennon, Paul Simon, REM, Wilco, Pavement and other more recent artists like Father John Misty, the Decemberists, Kevin Morby, Caamp and Cut Worms could be heard -- the music of CLAY BLACK remained uniquely its own. Lyrically dense and yet undeniably 'catchy', Michael began to sing along and teach himself the songs. 

Significant passages of the cassette tape were water damaged and irretrievable, and some songs were just bare sketches, but Michael began piecing the work together again, aided by old family notebooks. 

Determined to share this legacy with a new generation, Michael is now recording and releasing the work of CLAY BLACK, song by song, throughout 2025 and 2026.

(On occasion, Michael, along with his friend and producer Tim, play the CLAY BLACK songs live, in tribute and celebration. Catch them if you can.)

Lou has passed on. Brian lives on. Their music will last forever. And what of CLAY BLACK? It's now yours to discover. Each song is an argument for the connective power of music across generations -- songs of love, loss and legacy can stand the test of time. It's the return of CLAY BLACK. Join them, won't you...

~ Reggie Mudlin, Village Voice 2025

*With thanks to Lou Reed and Brian Wilson for their music and inspiration. Only respect is intended in the above tall tale... But the songs -- they're real. Coming soon.