Without pomp, circumstance, glitz or glamor. Just honest, raw, heartfelt country music from a troubadour livin’ the dream. JD Clayton will be releasing his first full album, Long Way From Home, on January 27th.

His musical journey began in Fort Smith, Arkansas, a town known for its true grit, resting on the banks of the Arkansas river and peering over into the farmlands of eastern Oklahoma. A place where the new south meets the old west. Clayton’s father worked in real estate before becoming a pastor when the oldest of his three children, JD, was starting high school. Clayton was already well-indoctrinated into music by then. His grandfather played banjo in a bluegrass band and taught Clayton some rudimentary chords; his father could pick a few chords too. “He would sit there trying to learn Jack Johnson songs from a guitar tab book while “In Between Dreams” played from a junky CD/Cassette player.” Clayton’s dad gave him a guitar when he was eight years old, though it would be a few years before it took.