James Clay

Up until 2004, the main James Clay on recordings was a jazz saxophonist. A self-titled set of songs on the Inpop label by a 22-year-old former member of what has been described as a "controlling religious cult" changed all that. Clay says quite interesting things about spirituality in interviews, recalling how religious teachings were basically used to torture him as a child. Nonetheless, he felt compelled to turn to these very teachings for answers in a later, more serene part of his life. Clay basically worked at various types of labor after leaving the cult -- at 13, he was putting pool cues together in a factory, followed by a cow-milking gig at a nearby dairy farm.

He began writing songs a few years later. One of his recorded efforts, "Franklin Park," was written when he was 15. Clay gigged with a blues band, worked in a turkey factory and as a chimney sweep, joined a church group and, in an important moment, was heard by <a href="spotify:artist:5VGhQcrTSOCL9AWSMEZdPR">Mylon LeFevre</a> one of the first acknowledged Christian rockers. <a href="spotify:artist:5VGhQcrTSOCL9AWSMEZdPR">LeFevre</a>'s solidly positive reaction was all the ground Clay needed to begin digging into recording. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi