JD Clayton

A native son of Arkansas, JD Clayton delivers a timeless form of country-rock that’s wholly the product of his environment: down-to-earth, deliberately unhurried, touched with a carefree ease that’s undeniably infectious. After several years spent grinding it out in Nashville—and touring alongside Dwight Yoakam, Old Crow Medicine Show, Parker McCollum, and more—the Fort Smith-bred singer/songwriter returned to his hometown and immersed himself in the making of an adventurous new album that soon led to his signing with Rounder Records. With equal parts soulful self-reflection and wildly colorful storytelling, Blue Sky Sundays immediately transports the audience into a world that moves at its own exhilarating rhythm—and ultimately reveals an artist of hard-won character and singular authenticity. Recorded at the legendary Sound Emporium Studios and mixed by seven-time Grammy Award winner Vance Powell (Sturgill Simpson, Chris Stapleton), Blue Sky Sundays ornaments its free-flowing sound with plenty of ear-catching sonic details, each crafted with a thoughtful spontaneity. “I’m always inspired by music made in the ’70s, when there wasn’t so much of a focus on getting everything exactly perfect,” says Clayton. “Life is crazy and it’s got a lot of blemishes, and I believe that music should too. These songs all came from us locking ourselves in the studio and really having fun with the songs, and I think that’s the heart of the album.”