1/21/2024 0 Comments Book a long way from homeNow, that’s making music.” That’s exactly what Clayton did, and Long Way From Home is the result. We would plug in a mic, set it in front of an amp, and let the player share their own story with their instrument. “Production needed to be basic and simplistic with a focus on the story and the song. So I felt like I needed to get back to my roots and start making music that felt natural and organic,” he explains. I really think I began to develop an ear for that sound.” He had an epiphany of sorts, “Arkansas, where I’m from, is the natural state. I was so enamored by the production choices and musicality of those records. I constantly listened to The Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. I would throw in my headphones and try to write a song or I would listen to old albums from top to bottom. He says, “I would be in the back of the truck driving with the crew from job to job. Clayton was making those ends meet working landscaping jobs, all while still working out new material in his head. Finally during his senior year, he met producer Thomas Dulin via Instagram, and following graduation went on to record his debut EP with Dulin, relocating to Nashville shortly thereafter. “I guess I realized during my sophomore year that nothing was going to happen until I started to record music correctly,” he says, and while nothing panned out immediately, Clayton definitely learned a lot. He started striking off to Nashville on the weekends n an attempt to immerse himself and learn all that he could. He wanted to learn as much as possible about the recording process, seeing it as key to where he wanted to take his music. The band developed a following, but Clayton had a bigger picture in mind. The music bug latched on and continued developing through church and later high school and college, until during his sophomore year at the University of Arkansa-Fort Smith, Clayton formed his first band, Small Town Symphony. Smith Arkansas, Clayton was exposed to music early and regularly in his family. He changed his approach to songwriting, recording and more, with Long Way From Home being the end result. These things have a way of changing perspectives if you allow them to, and it certainly seems Clayton saw the wisdom of making lemonade with life’s lemons while enjoying its blessings. He found himself working in a landscape crew just trying to make the ends meet, but he also welcomed his first child. Then, the pandemic hit and everything changed for Clayton, just like it did for everyone else, and like everyone else, sometimes that meant drastic changes. One of its tracks, “Brown Haired Blue Eyed Baby” was picking up lots of traction with over 2.2 million streams on Spotify alone. Long Way From Home is Clayton’s second recorded effort, having released his debut EP, Smoke Out the Fire, in 2018. JD was a man about town, making several buzz-worthy appearances at Nashville’s AmericanaFest, which is always a good indicator of things to come. Clayton hails from Northwestern Arkansas, and now calls Nashville home where there seems there’s been a bit of hype surrounding Clayton lately, seemingly warranted. JD Clayton makes his full album debut Friday January 27, with Long Way From Home.
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