There's no doubt Gary Clark Jr is having a big effect on people when you see those sorts of comments, let alone for a blues player.
By the end of the 20th Century many of the great blues men (and women) were gone and anyone who's a fan of the genre had to be wondering whether we were ever going to see their likes again.
But one listen to Gary Clark Jr and you know there's a new star to carry the blues on for some years to come. The man from Austin, Texas is the real deal, and by the way Austin must now be as important a destination for rock and blues as Liverpool was to the 60's beat boom.
The comparisons of his playing style to Hendrix are inevitable, frequent and tiresome, given that he's black and plays guitar that has to be where any similarities end. His 60's Chicago style playing just doesn't need the hassle. He's got his own way and that's it.
Clark Jr. "I'm not trying to prove anything with my music, there's no big agenda to it, I'm really just saying, this is me, hope you like what I do, because it's all I ever wanted to do and I get a lot of fun doing it."
The man has the presence, power and the blues, and that will just get better.
His latest recording is Bright Lights, a 4 track EP out now.
Here is his sensational performance at the Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2010 playing the title track Bright Lights.
"..You're gonna know my name by the end of the night". You better believe it.
