About me…
“I want people to remember me as a writer. I write songs because as a kid I wanted to write books. I most certainly can not write a novel, but I enjoy the idea of that same story in a song. That’s my passion, and if I can synthesize that into something that simultaneously makes people tap their toes or bob their head then I am already living the dream that I envisioned for myself.”
— Hunter Blake McClendon
Hailing from the hills and hollers of Bremen, Alabama is 24 year old singer/songwriter, Hunter Blake McClendon. With reflections and respect towards artists such as John Prine, Michael Hurley, The Avett Brothers, Jim Croce, The Grateful Dead and more, Hunter Blake McClendon fosters a sound that is intuitively joyful- fit for any audience who may find themselves searching for that spirit of freedom.
In his past he was apart of an FFA string band sponsored by his high school, the Cold Springs FFA String Band. Being an old timey, bluegrass string band, this group with McClendon on guitar and vocals was a 2016 and 2017 back to back 2x FFA Alabama State Championship winning group. Immediately after their first State Championship win in 2016, the string band accepted an invitation to compete in Indianapolis, Indiana at the National FFA Talent Competition hosted within the National FFA Convention. Out of 300 participants, the Cold Springs FFA String Band were able to snag 4th place after 2 semifinal rounds of competition. Their fourth place performance crescendoing into a memory Hunter says he will never forget which was playing for more than 30,000 people on stage inside of Lucas Oil Stadium home of the NFL Indianapolis Colts. The next year after the national convention the string band won their second FFA State Championship in 2017. These memories are what Hunter describes as the reason for still writing songs and performing today.
Hunter reflects in his music what it means to grow up in the kudzu hills of Alabama playing in a bluegrass/gospel group, and how different it can be even from the largest of small towns such as Muscle Shoals, Alabama the recording capital of the world where he currently lives in 2024. Moreover his style has dramatically been influenced by the Shoals since moving there in 2021. Today with his background in bluegrass, folk songs and celtic classics, Hunter blends his idealistic sound with rockabilly, boogie woogie and indie influence of such faces like Mac Demarco, Alabama Shakes, and Dr. Dog. To summarize Hunter Blake McClendon is a cult classic act that can entertain any crowd whether it is a college crowd, an electric crowd, a nuanced and focused crowd, a drunken crowd or even an old fashioned crowd… Hunter Blake McClendon makes music for to enjoy.