Blues Clues: Clarence Spady

The Man that Would Be King

On a rainy fall night three years ago we took friends on the hour-long drive to Hartford Connecticut. The destination, Black-Eyed-Sally's, served southern style food that could make your heart stop just by looking at it. This particular night we were in route to enjoy some fantastic food and see an incredible blues guitarist we had only heard snippets of on the Internet.

We sat close to the stage. We had no idea what to expect. Often when we've heard something in snippets online it wasn't quite as good live. That certainly wasn't the case this time. Without introduction the band took the stage. Clarence, a wraith of a man, out front seemed as if he might double over under the weight of the guitar. And then he started to play. We were so mesmerized we actually stopped eating. It takes a lot to take my attention away from shrimp Creole and jasmine rice but the sounds coming from the stage were more than enough.

We, and everyone in the place, were enthralled. It was blues, and rock, and funk and jazz all rolled into one. The guitar was simply an extension of the man bending and whining out his soul for the world to hear. During a break we bought his CD, Nature Of The Beast, which was already a few years old. Clarence took the time to speak personally with everyone and sign the CD's they had purchased. He even welcomed a man with a digital recorder provided he could get a copy sent to him.

The one song that sealed the deal for me was a wailing rendition of Just My Imagination. No vocals just guitar conveying the mood across time and space. It was absolutely phenomenal. I had to know more. We listened to the CD all the way home and were blown away with not only the quality of the music but the honesty it was delivered with.