The only thing growing faster than Gary Clark Jr.’s acclaim — among fans, critics and iconic musicians alike — is the scope of his talents and tastes.

So just how talented is Gary Clark Jr? Only talented enough to have the Mayor of music mecca Austin, Texas announce May 3, 2001 to be Gary Clark Jr Day – when the guitarist was only 17-years-old!

Earlier this year, he performed at the White House for Barack Obama in a band featuring Mick Jagger, Jeff Beck and BB King. President Obama was so impressed he said “He’s the future“. 

When he played at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival a couple of years back he ended up onstage with Clapton, Buddy Guy and Ronnie Wood. He’s collaborated with the who’s who of hip hop from Nas to Alicia Keys and The Roots. This American summer, Clark Jr has played every major festival from Bonnaroo to Sasquatch, New Orleans Essence Festival to Lollapalooza.

So if you like your music innovative, classic-sounding and loud get along and find out just why the whole world is falling for the virtuosic six-string skills of Clark Jr – underground guitarists don’t come more skilled or better credentialed than this prodigiously talented young axe-slinger.

Here’s what the critics are saying:

“Owing as much to Kurt Cobain and the Ramones as Buddy Guy and John Lee Hooker, indebted to hip-hop and psychedelia,”, “[Clark] is grounded in tradition while standing on the brink of change.” – Rolling Stone

“New favourite young purveyor of southern blues rock.” – Bernard Zuel – Sydney Morning Herald

“[Clark] is sultry and bluesy to the max…. but also delivers it with a serving of raw, emotional rock ‘n’ roll.” triple j magazine

To coincide with his upcoming Australian tour, Warner Music Australia is set to the release The Bright Lights – Australian Tour Edition EP on September 7, 2012, which contains over 20 minutes of additional live music.

“I was really inspired all at once to do all kinds of different things,” he told his hometown  newspaper, the Austin American-Statesman, citing an array of inspirations from Skip James to Otis Redding to Albert King, Freddie King, to Nina Simone to Jimi Hendrix to Outkast to Green Day, Nirvana, The Strokes to Marvin Gaye and just about anything/everything in between.