ABOUT THE MUSICIAN

CLETUS BLACK (vocals/guitar) Award winning and critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Cletus Black has been writing, recording and performing his songs for nearly two decades. Whether playing solo, with members of his band or with his complete Revue, he brings a unique blend of rock, folk, blues, country and pop to the stage. Cletus performs a mix of original songs and cover songs.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING...

"As a songwriter, Black stands on the shoulders of giants...Every song has a distinctive hook and lyrics are sufficiently mature and esoteric."
Steve Byrne, SCENE MAGAZINE

"His sandpapery voice and emotional depth charges remind me of an alt-country Leonard Cohen, with toasty-oaked, wiskey-soaked shades of J.J. Cale at his edges. Black's songs come from a heart that's surely on its way to said color, lined with Springsteen flourishes and melancholy violets...Black's one hell of a poet...And much larger than local."
Peter Chakerian, COOL CLEVELAND

"Cletus Black is one of the most distinctive singer-songwriters in the area and-given his knack for lyrics-one whose reach is beyond the region is way overdue...Bloodlines to the Heart builds on the strengths of Black's solid 2001 offering Black Ice, a disc abundant with hooks that establish a variety of engaging moods and pictures. Black gets a lot of storytelling mileage out of the short, simple phrases from which he typically fashions his tunes."
Duane Verth, SCENE MAGAZINE

"Cletus Black's music harks back to a generation of blues and country-informed folk rockers who sprang from the loins of Bob Dylan. His roosty eclecticism, storytelling lyrics, strong song writing craft and tough-hewn voice have much in common with the seemingly bottomless pool of talented Texas singer-songwriters such as Guy Clark, Townes Van Zant and Tom Russell. His music would sound more at home in Austin than in his native Cleveland..."
Anastasia Pantsios, FREE TIMES MAGAZINE

"Cleveland's lyrical poet, cletus Black is back with his latest batch of rockin' blues ballads and stories of life. Stuck in Ohio with a Greenwich attitude and a backcountry outlook, Black is kickin' up some of the best talent around him to deliver his latest edicts...An Ohio original, Cletus Back is an elite wordsmith with a unique musical vision...scope this out...it's rockin' blues noir!"
Mark A Cole, BIG CITY BLUES MAGAZINE

"Black is one of the city's true hidden treasures."
Jeff Niesel, Music Editor SCENE/FREE TIMES MAGAZINE