RIP W.C. Clark

[Hornius Emeritus 12481]

The Godfather of the Austin blues scene has passed away

 

[Handcruser 2805]

Fuck.

[Hornius Emeritus 12481]

Played his last gig at Giddy Ups on Feb. 20. He was 84 years old. Saw him dozens of times.

[Handcruser 2805]

When we moved back to Austin in 1990 the phone started ringing off the hook. WC was one of those callers. Clifford. TD Bell. All kinds of people.

Mom hated it lol. But she’d always pass the call from WC. He was a good guy.

RIP WC.

[Al Czervik 1229]

Lucky to catch him on a few Tuesday nights at Giddy Ups. Always a great show.  Maybe he’s just taking a short break and will be right Black.  

[jimmyjazz 46083]

Dammit.

[GhostOfTomJoad 9349]

Well shit. WC always delivered.

[tigol 2399]

Damnit.  He played out at Hays City Store there for a bit.  That was a good time.  

[YGIFS 19452]

Well it sucks ass, but he was 84 and had a wonderful run.  First show I ever saw after moving to Austin was W.C. Clark.  Few months later, saw him with Bobby blue Bland at Antone's.  Can''t even remember how many times I saw him.  

This city's "Live Music Capital of the World", whether you agree with the motto or not is simply nothing without the trailblazing blues of W.C. Clark.  All else is commentary.  Rest Easy, sir...

[Handcruser 2805]

Well it sucks ass, but he was 84 and had a wonderful run.  First show I ever saw after moving to Austin was W.C. Clark.  Few months later, saw him with Bobby blue Bland at Antone's.  Can''t even remember how many times I saw him.  
This city's "Live Music Capital of the World", whether you agree with the motto or not is simply nothing without the trailblazing blues of W.C. Clark.  All else is commentary.  Rest Easy, sir...

What year?

[YGIFS 19452]

I may have them reversed because I'm old and have technically moved to Austin twice (undergrad transfer and then after grad school in California), but the Bobby Bland show was at the old Antone's on the north end of the Drag.  And W.C. jumped up there with him for a song or two.  Would have been '96 or '97.  And saw W.C. do a short weeknight set at Continental Club I guess right before that.  And then I moved back to Austin years later and used to see Clark play a lot in South Austin where I lived at the time.  Always loved his shows.  After a show, as this old website incarnation coincidence would have it, after a show we walked down the street to a bar to get some cheap drinks after a show.  Back when South Congress only had a few joints.  And who was there?  But W.C. Clark?  And for those of you who remember, that bar's name?  You guessed it, Shaggy's.  RIP, W.C.

[G650 14273]

Man just saw this. RIP to a legend

[Handcruser 2805]

I may have them reversed because I'm old and have technically moved to Austin twice (undergrad transfer and then after grad school in California), but the Bobby Bland show was at the old Antone's on the north end of the Drag.  And W.C. jumped up there with him for a song or two.  Would have been '96 or '97.  And saw W.C. do a short weeknight set at Continental Club I guess right before that.  And then I moved back to Austin years later and used to see Clark play a lot in South Austin where I lived at the time.  Always loved his shows.  After a show, as this old website incarnation coincidence would have it, after a show we walked down the street to a bar to get some cheap drinks after a show.  Back when South Congress only had a few joints.  And who was there?  But W.C. Clark?  And for those of you who remember, that bar's name?  You guessed it, Shaggy's.  RIP, W.C.

Ah - yeah great chance my dad was on drums that night - I’d put money on it. He did a lot of dates with Bobby, and a shitload with WC.

[YGIFS 19452]

Small world, I'm sure it was him probably.  I probably saw W.C. Clark about a dozen times over the years from mid/late 90's to when we started having kids and stopped going to shows and got lame.  

During a show in probably '97 or '98, W.C. was chatting with the crowd between songs and told us a story about him and John Lee Hooker.  I can't remember the details but I knew Hooker was a big deal in the blues world.  A year later, I'm at the Fillmore watching Charlie Musselwhite and John Lee Hooker in San Francisco and JLH threw an apple out to the crowd and I caught it.  Made me think of W.C, Clark.  And pun intended, I thought during "Boogie Chillin", I thought I was looking right into the core of the universe.  

[horn4life 3781]

One thing you have to love about W.C. besides his playing, is that he went out like a true Bluesman, playing gigs on a stool, right up to the end!  A tip of the has to W.C. and the many times I got to enjoy his music, and his tutoring younger players.  Our reigning Godfather of the Blues has passed.  It's always a reminder to take time and go see the old guys while they are still around.  A good opportunity to see these sorts of guy is the most underrated and under-attended "festival" in Austin, the Eastside Kings Festival in the Fall. 

I can see W.C. in my mind as a young man again, tuning his guitar getting ready to rip in Heaven... God's speed...

[texasdago 7577]

Shoot... had a chance to see him play a month ago and didn't go.  

[hullabelew 3724]

What a voice....

 

[hullabelew 3724]

What a band on stage.