Critic's Choice

W.C. Clark is one of those blues artists who is totally happy playing to faithful patrons in small clubs. In Austin, his hometown, he can regularly be found at modest East Side venues such as the Victory Grill and Charlie Playhouse. After roughly fifty years on the Austin blues circuit, Clark is considered the godfather of that town's scene, even though he didn't put out an album until 1986 (Blues Revue/Something for Everyone). Clark released his Black Top Records debut in 1994 (Heart of Gold), followed by Texas Soul (1995) and 1998's Lover's Plea. So while he hasn't been terribly prolific as far as recordings are concerned, he's cornered the market on the fusion of the traditional Memphis soul and Texas blues styles, garnering the admiration of other blues luminaries like Jimmie Vaughan and Marcia Ball. His most notorious work to date is "Cold Shot," which he co-wrote with the late Stevie Ray Vaughan (Austin's Patron Saint of the Blues); Clark also collaborated with Vaughan in the Triple Threat Revue. But it's Clark's current project, the Blues Revue, that allows him to showcase his vocal chops, which have been ranked up there with Al Green's and Otis Redding's. Get a taste of a true Texas gem on Thursday, February 7, at Brendan's Pub.