Born in 1951 and a native New Orleanian, Cranston Clements was shaped by mainstream '60s and '70s rock and by the local New Orleans and Cajun sounds. He took up guitar young and was soon playing with Wayne Cochran & the C.C. Riders — a band that also produced Jaco Pastorius. Over fifty-plus years he has logged thousands of gigs, from Bourbon Street to European festivals, and recorded and toured with a long roster: Cyril Neville, Dr. John, Johnny Adams, Marva Wright, Stanton Moore, Boz Scaggs, Maria Muldaur, Allen Toussaint, the Dixie Cups, the Neville Brothers, Mighty Sam McClain, Joe Clay, Irma Thomas, and Amanda Shaw.
As a leader he pushes genre boundaries with his own projects: the guitar collective Twangorama (formed in the late 1990s with Jimmy Robinson and Phil deGruy), the New Orleans Guitar Masters, the Rock-a-byes, Sexdog, the Clements Brothers with his brother Dave, and the New Orleans Guitar Quartet. In 2014 he recorded and toured with Cyril Neville, playing guitar on and co-writing 'Blues Is The Truth' for Neville's Magic Honey. He earned a Best Regional Roots Grammy nod with Cameron Dupuy and the Cajun Troubadours and has been named Best Rock Guitarist in New Orleans twice by OffBeat.
His 2014 instrumental album What's the Rush — a set of original guitar explorations, some solo and finger-style, some with layered ensembles — put his own composing front and center, with twin sons Austin and Tyler on bass and drums. His daughter Annie is a sought-after touring Nashville bassist. Clements continues to live and work in the New Orleans area.
