iSound

Born on November 1, 1969 in Richmond, Virginia, Chris comes from a family of musicians. His grandfather, J.P. Clarke, was ragtime piano player on Vaudeville, as well as an old time fiddle, guitar and mandolin player. His brother and cousin are both performing artists in Virginia. As a kid, Chris was exposed early on to old time fiddle and bluegrass music at family reunions and pickin' parties. Chris began writing and playing the guitar almost 20 years ago after seeing Bob Dylan perform with the Grateful Dead in 1986. This experience changed his life forever and served as the compass for his musical exploration for the next few years. During college in Elkins, West Virginia, Chris was exposed to the traditional music masters who took up residence at the Augusta Heritage Center - fiddlers like Ernie Carpenter, Tracy Schwarz and the country blues of John Cephas and Phil Wiggins. It was during this time that Chris would again hear the old time music that he grew up with in eastern Vi...