Gary Clark Jr. Tells 'The Story of Sonny Boy Slim' on New LP

BY Alex HudsonPublished Jul 30, 2015

Gary Clark Jr. hit it big with 2012's Blak and Blu, and now that the Texas blues-slinger is officially a star, he's ready to follow it up with a new LP. The Story of Sonny Boy Slim will be out on September 11 through Warner Bros. Records.

Clark produced the LP himself and played most of the instruments. It was recorded by Bharath "Cheex" Ramanat and Jason Sciba, and backing vocals were sung by Clark's sisters Shawn and Savannah.

In an album trailer, Clark explained that the title of Sonny Boy Slim refers to himself; his mother called him "Sonny Boy" as a child, and his musical peers have frequently refferred to him as "Slim." He said, "The underlying tone of this album is faith and hope, really, at the end of the day. 'Cause that's all you need." The album cover, which depicts a kid waiting for the bus (and might subliminally make you need the restroom), can be seen above. 

Check out that trailer at the bottom of this page, along with the sweeping soul-rock opening track "The Healing" and the crunchy blues jam "Grinder." Also below, see the album tracklist along with Clark's newly expanded North American tour schedule; he's got a summer run of arena gigs opening for Foo Fighters to be followed by headlining dates running into 2016.

The album is available to pre-order in various formats from Clark's website. Pre-orders come with instant downloads of "The Healing" and "Grinder."

The Story of Sonny Boy Slim:

1. The Healing
2. Grinder
3. Star
4. Our Love
5. Church
6. Hold On
7. Cold Blooded
8. Wings
9. BYOB
10. Can't Sleep
11. Stay
12. Shake
13. Down to Ride

Tour dates:

07/30 Chicago, IL House of Blues
07/31 Chicago, IL Lollapalooza
08/02 Montreal, QC Osheaga Music and Arts Festival
08/22 Pownal, VT The Full Tilt Boogie Festival
08/23 New York, NY Afropunk Festival
09/11 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena *
09/12 George, WA Gorge Amphitheatre *
09/14 Portland, OR Moda Center *
09/16 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre *
09/21 Los Angeles, CA The Forum *
09/24 Chula Vista, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre *
09/25 Phoenix, AZ AK-Chin Pavilion *
09/27 Albuquerque, NM Isleta Amphitheater *
09/29 Oklahoma City, OK Chesapeake Energy Arena *
09/30 Wichita, KS INTRUST Bank Arena *
10/02 Austin, TX ACL Festival
10/04 Atlanta, GA Centennial Olympic Park *
10/05 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena *
10/07 Memphis, TN FedEx Forum *
10/09 Austin, TX ACL Festival
10/17 Anaheim, CA Honda Center *
10/31 Boston, MA - H.O.B.
11/01 Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore
02/18 St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live
02/19 Miami, FL - The Fillmore
02/20 Lake Buena Vista, FL - H.O.B.
02/21 Ponte Vedra Beach, FL - Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
02/23 Birmingham, AL - Iron City
02/24 Chattanooga, TN - Tivoli Theater
02/26 Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
02/28 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
03/01 Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
03/04 Houston, TX - Warehouse Live Ballroom
03/06 Dallas, TX - H.O.B.
03/08 El Paso, TX - Tricky Falls
03/12 Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl
03/31 Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater
04/01 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theater
04/02 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
04/03 Omaha, NE - Slowdown
04/05 Denver, CO - Ogden Theater
04/08 Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
04/09 Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
04/10 Seattle, WA - Moore Theater
04/12 Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
04/14 Portland, OR - Roseland Theater

* with Foo Fighters





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