Gary Clark Jr.

His album isn’t even out yet. But he did release a four-song EP called Bright Lights in August. That EP has already made history. Rolling Stone, for the first time ever, gave an EP a featured review, with four stars. Throughout the review, and others, it is intimated that Clark is the long-awaited heir to the Texas blues throne, picking up the mantle of Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan.  He’s gained the respect of ?uestlove and Alicia Keys, been compared to legendary six-stringers and clearly has the attention of every big promoter in the country.

So what exactly is in store for him?

“Honestly, I’m not quite sure,” Clark told Pollstar. “The album should come out in the spring, maybe a little bit later. Basically, just hit the road and be touring for a good chunk of the year. That’s what I’ve been told but you know as much as I do.”

Also, it should be noted that he’s pretty modest. And, as mentioned by one of his agents, Seth Seigle, he’s just cool.

“It’s so rewarding to work with someone who’s just a great person,” Seigle said. “That makes it more fun than anything else. You root for people like that.”

Clark was introduced to the national scene via an impressive set at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads festival at Chicago’s Toyota Park in 2010. The song “Bright Lights,” with Doyle Bramhall II playing rhythm, can be seen on YouTube. Although he’d toured, the moment took him out of Antone’s in Austin and into the arms of Warner Bros., which has been prepping him for a major launch in about April. And the team at William Morris Endeavor is ready to take him all over the world.

But he’s already there, in a way.

“As far back as August, we did a Gary Clark connect-the-dots tour and every show sold out,” Seigle said. “He’s really a truly talented artist and a great case of word-of-mouth.”