A native son of Arkansas, JD Clayton delivers a timeless form of country-rock that’s wholly the product of his environment: down-to-earth, deliberately unhurried, touched with a carefree ease that’s undeniably infectious. Over the past few years alone, he’s brought his crowd-thrilling show to tours with the likes of Dwight Yoakam, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Parker McCollum, in addition to performing at major festivals such as Bonnaroo and Dreamy Draw and opening for artists like Hank Williams Jr., Brent Cobb, and Ashley McBryde. As a kid growing up in Fort Smith, Clayton got his start playing guitar (thanks to some guidance from his grandfather, who played banjo in a bluegrass band) and later took up piano, drums, banjo, harmonica, and ukulele, then released debut EP Smoke Out the Fire while still in college. After grinding it out in Nashville for several years (and making his full-length debut with 2023’s critically praised Long Way From Home), he returned to his hometown and immersed himself in creating an adventurous new album that soon led to his signing with Rounder Records. With equal parts soulful self-reflection and wildly colorful storytelling, Blue Sky Sundays immediatel