Introducing Our New Guest Blogger, Clay Corn

Hey there, fellow boot aficionados! I’m Clayton Corn. I know, I have a funny last name and I’ve heard every joke in the book about it, but most people call me Clay, Corn or CC.

A few weeks ago I started talking to Marc Conselman and it wasn’t long before the conversations about boots and everything Texas carried us away. Near the end of our conversation we kicked around the idea of sharing some of those stories and more over time, while I’m out on the road. Because whether it’s through music or prose, I’m a storyteller at heart and after years on the road, I’ve compiled a hellova a collection…

I want to start by sharing a little about myself and some of the things I’ve done so you can see why I’m glad to be writing a series of blog posts for The Texas Boot Company.

I was born and raised in Parmer County, Texas, which lies in the extreme southwest corner of the Panhandle. I’m a flatlander. If you’ve ever been out that way you know you can watch your dog run away for days. My hometown is Farwell, the namesake of the two brothers from Chicago who contracted the construction of the Texas State Capitol. I’ll talk a lot more about growing up in a map-dot farming community in future posts but I want you to know where my love of Texas culture is rooted.

Much to my parents’ chagrin, I grew up to become a professional musician. I like to tell folks that my career choice is payback for Mom making me sit through piano lessons every Wednesday for ten years, but the truth is, I love what I do and count my blessings every day that I get to do it. I’m a product of South Plains College’s acclaimed Commercial Music department. The truth is I’m a piano player because it’s the only thing I was ever any good at but it has opened the door for all of my accomplishments. Because of that, I spent years living and working in Nashville performing with names such as Lee Greenwood, Phil Vassar, ZZ Top, Huey Lewis and several others, but my heart was always in Texas. So, as soon as I had the means, I bought a house near Austin and Texas has again proudly been my home for the last decade.

I spent the better part of that decade as bandleader for Texas-music icon, Pat Green, and I have thousands of stories to tell about that chapter in my life. He remains one of my best friends and the godfather to my little boy, Grayson, for whom I left Pat’s band and took a brief hiatus from touring to be close to during the first part of his life. I’m back to touring now and I currently claim a bunk on the Cory Morrow bus. In the last few weeks I’ve grown to love these guys, but we all go way back, even to before my move to Nashville.

Aside from touring and playing, I also produce records, play on tons of other artist’s albums and produce live events. Most recently and notably, I worked on Governor Greg Abbott’s election night party and a portion of the inauguration which I’ll tell you all about in my next post, along with the new black, 4 heel, snipped toe horned back alligator Lucchese boots I broke in over the course of those events.

Over the course of my almost forty years I’ve been just about everywhere and I can attest that there is, in fact, no place like home. I am a lot of things: father, piano player, songwriter, producer, pilot, golfer, cigar guy, self-proclaimed scotch expert, BBQ critic, boot enthusiast, but above of all I am a Texan. Welcome to my blog, I’m glad you’re here.