Clark Beckham, Paul Childers pay tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan
How many musicians can say that legendary Quincy Jones has endorsed their talent?
Clark Beckham can. Beckham, Lee University alumnus and runner-up on Season 14 of “American Idol,” signed a management deal with producer/pop music promoter Jones last year. Beckham released his new album, “Year One,” in May and will tour in support of it this fall.
Jones posted this endorsement of Beckham’s talent on social media on July 30: “Nadia Boulanger, my former teacher in Paris, used to tell me, ‘Quincy, there are only 12 notes, and until God gives us 13, I want you to know what everybody did with those 12.
“So ever since then, I made it my goal to study theory like it was the back of my hand …. and it makes my soul smile to see young kids doing the same. This kid has the soul & science DOWN & you can tell by the soul he puts into his art. You might recognize him from ‘American Idol’ & I’m telling you, the next stop for this kid is UP! My brother Clark Beckham, we’re honored to have you on the Quincy Jones Productions Inc. team & I’m excited for North America to get a taste of your style on this upcoming tour.”
But before Beckham hits the road, Chattanoogans can hear his new music first when he plays Songbirds on Saturday, Aug. 11, at 7 p.m. He will join Paul Childers at the night’s event, Paul Childers Honors Stevie Ray Vaughan with Clark Beckham.
This will be Childers’ fourth show at Songbirds honoring a specific guitarist. Previous shows have featured the music of Chuck Berry, B.B. King and Eric Clapton.
Mike Dougher, Songbirds entertainment coordinator, says Beckham will open for Childers but he’s hoping for some collaboration.
“I’ve put the two of them in touch with each other, so hopefully something cool comes out of it,” says Dougher. “Paul will be doing his usual show with the addition of numerous Stevie Ray songs.”
Childers blends pop, R&B and soul in his performances, blurring lines between Vaughan, himself and Jimi Hendrix styles of guitar playing. His songwriting is clever, heartbreaking and refreshingly honest.
In previous Childers shows, the staff at Songbirds has pulled guitars from its collection owned by the featured artists for Childers to play.
“We don’t have the exact guitar Stevie Ray Vaughan played, so we’re going to pull out a couple of classic, vintage guitars and see if we can’t have some fun,” says Dougher.