Jeff Clair and his son, Faron, and his Appalachian Teacher of the Year Award
Most bluegrass fans understand that some of the artists who perform and record this music we love are not full-time entertainers. Only the very top tier are able to make a living touring. In addition, there are many extremely talented individuals who chose a part-time musical path in order to stay close to home and embrace family or career responsibilities.
At Bluegrass Today, we honor everyone who celebrates bluegrass music, and are quite pleased to share a story from eastern Kentucky grasser Jeff Clair, who has been playing and singing bluegrass since he was a young teen. Jeff performed for some time with his own group, Half Past Lonesome, and released a solo gospel album in 2012, They Called Him Jesus, and another with the band for Lonesome Day Records.
His “day job” is as an educator, teaching physics and history at Breathitt County High School in Jackson, KY. Jeff has also taught computer technology courses.
Earlier this month, Clair was recognized as Appalachian Teacher of the Year by Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) at their annual SOAR Summit Awards Gala, held at the Corbin Arena on October 7 in Corbin, KY. SOAR is a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing population loss in the 54 counties of eastern Kentucky, and building communities that foster population growth.
Many readers will be aware that this region has suffered greatly from economic changes in the coal industry, and has seen disastrous levels of poverty, drug use, and family breakdown as a result. Education is a top priority for reversing these negative impacts, and is a big part of SOAR’s efforts.
We had a chance to speak with Jeff about his background as a teacher, and as a bluegrass artist, and we invite everyone to congratulate him for these accomplishments.
Initially, we wondered how long he had been teaching.
“I began teaching in 2006, with my first position in Fayette County, Lexington, KY. From there I taught several years in Hazard and Perry County, and this is my seventh year teaching back home in Breathitt County at Breathitt County High School. All together I’ve got around 14 years teaching, having taken a few years off to go back to school to get a Masters degree.”
His reaction to winning the award was gracious, but humble.
“I want to thank God first, and all the teachers I’ve had, my past and current administrators, all of my students, my wife and family, and my number one supporter, my son, Faron Clair.
I’m honored to have been recognized for the award because this means that somewhere along the way, I may have done or said something that made a difference to some young person, and helped prepare them for whatever life throws at them. But the truth is there are hundreds of teachers just as deserving in classrooms across the country who walk in every morning with that same goal.”
Jeff’s history in bluegrass sounds a familiar tune.
“I grew up around bluegrass from a very early age. My father was a DJ on WJSN in Jackson, playing country, bluegrass, and bluegrass gospel, and he’d often take me to the station with him. He also managed, and sometimes sang with, a local group called Bluegrass Edition. From the time I could walk, I drug a little guitar around and followed the men in the band, and watched every move they made as they sang and played, hoping to learn something.
Dad also booked shows in the 1980s through the 1990s at local school gyms and other venues several times a year, with folks like Ralph Stanley, Bill Monroe, the Marshall Family, the Gross Family, and Arlie Howard & the Kentucky Mountain Ramblers. Through those shows I got to know a lot of the performers, and I talked to them every chance I got, hoping to get some words of wisdom.
When I was 11 or 12, I learned to play guitar and started singing, mostly songs I picked up from Dad’s friend Sam Wilson, who was well known in bluegrass circles at the time. I played along with every Ralph Stanley, Stanley Brothers, and Larry Sparks record I could get my hands on. I followed Sam to about every show he had and picked up as much as I could. Sam was good to me and never looked down on a young boy trying to learn to do what he was doing. Later on I would get to play in his band and he became a life long friend until he passed in 2018.
began playing in bands when I was in middle school locally with the Bluegrass Fever Band. Then I was in a band for a couple of years called New South Wind, alongside Kevin Amburgey, Kelly Caldwell, and Scott Napier. We played mostly gospel at festivals and churches. After that I played banjo with Sam Wilson & the Bluegrass Colonels for several years, and kept filling in as needed as Sam began performing less often.
In 2011 I filled in on a few dates on mandolin with Larry Sparks and ended up staying off and on until 2018, working as many dates as my teaching schedule would allow. Highlights from those years include being there when Larry was inducted into the IBMA Hall of Fame in 2015, and performing with Larry on the Grand Ole Opry when Alison Krauss joined him on stage.
In 2018 my son was turning three and didn’t like me being gone so much, and I needed to be able to provide a more regular income so I stepped back to focus on teaching and family. Since then, I’ve played select dates with my own band, Half Past Lonesome, and for the past several years I’ve been the organizer for the Mine Made Bluegrass Festival. I hope to get back on the road as much as possible in the near future.
Somehow, I’ve been lucky enough to perform on stage with all of my bluegrass heroes, Larry Sparks, Ralph Stanley, Sam Wilson, and Dave Evans. I tried to learn from each of them, directly and indirectly not only their music, but also how they conducted themselves professionally on the road and how to treat people.”
Many congratulations to Jeff Clair for this major award!
We look forward to hearing more about his music as well.
