“I can’t feel a thing,” sings Gary Clark Jr. in “Numb,” a track taken from his lauded first major label studio album Blak and Blu, but the Texan guitarist, singer and songwriter’s gritty, powerful riffs are about as passionate as they come. The 29-year-old Austin native counts the likes of Eric Clapton and Barack Obama among his fans—the President notoriously dubbed him the “future” of the blues—and has shared the stage with Alicia Keys, Dave Matthews Band and The Rolling Stones. Clark’s soulful approach to genre-splicing channels the best of rock, R&B, jazz and hip-hop heritage, mashing up Jimi Hendrix’s intensity with The Beatles’ timelessness and vocals reminiscent of lo-fi act The Black Keys, updated with a contemporary hard edge. With his most recent LP ranked among Rolling Stone magazine’s 50 Best Albums of the year, Clark is also growing into something of an accidental style icon: rarely photographed without his signature brimmed hat, he can now add modelling for John Varvatos alongside Led Zeppelin guitar hero Jimmy Page to his reputation for following in the footsteps of greats. rolling stone