Cleve and A.J. Clark are arguably the best-kept secret in country music… but not for long. Hailing from Alvarado, Texas, 29 year-old Cleve and 36-year old A.J. are already seasoned veterans of the studio and stage, and they have carved a niche in the Texas music scene not only as performers, but as producers, songwriters, and studio owners as well. The “brother” harmony Cleve and A.J. deliver speaks for itself in their energetic stage performances and on their many recordings, but it’s a long Texas road that has brought this dynamic duo to where they now stand. Hard work, a supportive family, an entrepreneurial spirit, and unflappable faith have kept Cleve and A.J. on the road where they cut their teeth on southern gospel music, to the Christian country charts, and on the break-neck schedule they keep today.
At age 15, A.J. started a southern gospel group and began traveling to churches playing wherever he could. The venture quickly became a family affair, with the members of the Clark family playing in the band and handling booking and business activities, including little brother Cleve, who joined in at the age of 7 to sing and play drums.
As Cleve and A.J. progressed musically, they began booking shows in mainstream venues as a country duo. Although their faith is very much still intact, their focus as performing artists is aimed at the mainstream country market.
Over the past seven years, A.J. and Cleve have been traveling to Nashville to write songs with noted hit-makers including Kim Patton Johnson “Beautiful Goodbye”, Rick Carnes “Longneck Bottle”, and Shane Decker “Mrs. Steven Rudy.” They have opened a studio where they’re strengthening their production skills and keeping their performing edge sharp while working on projects for themselves and for their clients.
In the past two years, the brothers Clark have trimmed their touring schedule back to 150 dates a year to focus on their recording career as a duo to the next level. Their hard work has already begun to pay off for them.
In the spring of 2003, as the US went to war with Iraq, one of Cleve and A.J.’s songs was noticed by Nashville DJ, Gerry House, the host of WSIX The Big 98’s morning show. They began to play “Freedom Hurts”, a song written and recorded by the duo that chronicles the emotions a mother feels as her son grows up and moves away. Although the song was not directly written about the events of the war, the lyrics “freedom hurts, when it’s worth it independence costs so much, it’s ironic but it’s true from birth to dust, love will grow from the ground you thought was cursed, sometimes hearts get broken first, freedom hurts”, struck a chord with the many people in the country with loved ones fighting abroad. Other stations began to play the song, including Grand Ole Opry station WSM-AM in Nashville and KFWR in Fort Worth, TX. Cleve and A.J. were invited to play the song on several radio and TV shows.
With this taste of success, Cleve and A.J. are now ready to make their mark on the country music world in a big way. They know they’ve got their work cut out for them, but they believe that if they keep their faith strong and continue to deliver the best music they can, success will follow.
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