Born on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, and baptized by the music of Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, and Johnny Cash, from the time Clayton could walk, the music of iconic rock-n-roll surrounded him. Begining guitar lessons at age 10, Clayton started a band with his equally musical twin brothers. Overwhelmingly talented and grossly under-aged, the gregarious brothers quickly started playing 3-4 hour sets in dive bars around Chicago. They played anything rock-n-roll: KISS, Metallica, AC/DC, Guns-N-Roses, anything loud! In an unprecedented pursuit of performance, Clayton and his band of REBELMANN caught the attention of talent buyers and began performing at iconic venues such as the Whisky-a-Go-Go on Sunset Strip, West Hollywood; The MGM Grand Las Vegas with Gene Simmons; The Hard Rock Chicago, Music Row Nashville, various festivals, and the Chicago Music Awards to upwards of 4000 people.
Writing full performance musical compositions, the young teens became Recording Academy members and toured nationally with Teen Nation Tour, an anti-bullying program that encouraged students to stand-up against bullying through a musical platform.
Then .... everything in Clayton's world changed.
His father almost died from heart disease, his twin brothers joined the US Marines, his sister had a baby girl, and his grandmother moved in with his family battling terminal breast cancer. Not knowing what to do, Clayton joined an entertainment company and began playing corporate events, private parties, and nursing homes; anywhere a cover band was needed. He played lead guitar, lead vocalist, background vocalist, any part to keep him in music. With his beloved grandmother's passing and still feeling his music career was going no where, Clayton finished high school and three days after graduation, packed his bags and moved to Nashville, alone.
Now a resident of Music City, Clayton has started a new band, writes everyday, plays in writers rounds down on Music Row, and is a regular performer on the main stage at the famous Tootsies Orchid Lounge and Kid Rock's Honky Tonk to keep the lights on and make rent. Clayton's debut EP is scheduled for release in February 2020. He hopes to strike a publishing deal and grow as an artist and onto bigger stages, performing world-wide.
From Clayton:
"Besides music, I really enjoy NASCAR, golf, and the outdoors. My free time consists of golfing and catching fish; they're good mind escapes after writing music all day. My friends would probably say I'm loud, energetic, funny and not really wild, but wildly funny! Me - on stage and in the writing room - are two different people. On stage I'm very much 'out there,' but when writing I become very quiet. They require two very different head spaces.
I have an amazing family: two brothers in the Marine Corps, a hard-working sister with an amazing daughter, and two parents that support me 110%, even when I feel like I can't suppport myself. I am not in a relationship; I can't afford one. My hobbies include drinking too much coffee, not sleeping enough, fishing, golfing, and playing guitar.
Writing songs is very important to me. My hopes and dreams are to write songs that last and impact peoples lives. As a performer and entertainer, I want to know that I can share pieces and moments of me with the audience - moments that I hope can be intertwined with their lives."
"Music is about those moments, not just the notes and guitar riffs."
Clayton Mann