Firmly rooted in the blues tradition, Clay Swafford was raised in the small rural community of Providence, Alabama. Born into a musical family; he was immersed in the sounds of Baptist Hymnals, Country and Bluegrass. He took interest in the piano at an early age and, after hearing the music of B.B King and Bobby Blue Bland at age 15, Clay was hooked on the blues.

At 16, he attended the Pinetop Homecoming Celebration and promptly found himself on stage with many of his idols. In 2005 (age 20), the hard work paid off: Clay was asked to be a part of the boogie-woogie piano documentary “Falsifyin” alongside Jerry Lee Lewis, Pinetop Perkins, Marcia Ball, and Henry Gray. Since then Clay has appeared at major festivals all over the south, played regularly with Willie “Big Eyes” Smith and numerous other blues legends, and earned the respect of blues musicians everywhere he played.