‘Catch of the Day’ – Ashley Clark [VIDEO]

Today's catch of the day comes from a young artist who is familiar with the sound of a closing door and who has heard "no" far more often then "yes". But through the ups and down of a young music career, he has endured the hardships and carried on chasing that neon rainbow.

Ashley Clark discovered early his career that every time a door closes that a window opens and you better climb through it while it is. His story ranges from sleeping on any floor he could in Nashville, to having one of the most powerful agents in the music universe seek him out, with one of the most recognizable produces along for the ride.

Growing up as one of 11 children of a traveling Pentecostal Preacher, Clark's childhood was a self-described "traveling circus", he was expected to perform as part of the services, the family would find themselves at an array of churches, tent revivals, and festivals. While the upbringing was far from “normal,” giving him an amazing crash course in music.

After a couple of short-termed breaks with his family, Clark moved to Nashville for good. He arrived in Nashville without prospects, or even a place to stay. He landed an open floor to sleep on with an old friend, and soon word started to spread about a lightening fast fiddle player in town, and Clark soon landed his first gig playing behind a recently crowned American Idol winner named Carrie Underwood, staying with her touring band for the next 2 1/2 years.

As he was paying the bills working with Underwood, he formed a band with two of his brothers, taking the name Sons of Sylvia. After seeing the promo for an upcoming Fox program called The Next Great American Band. He told his brothers he thought they could win the competition, they auditioned, made the show and indeed, they won it.

Clark and his brothers were signed to the management company of the program’s creator Simon Fuller. It quickly became clear that the true star the band was its lead singer and fiddle player, Ashley. Not long after, superstar producer Mutt Lange contacted Fuller looking for a new artist to produce, and Ashley Clark was the answer.

Over the next two years, Ashley and Lange reworked Clark’s songs, co-wrote a host of others, and collaborated closely on an entire album, something Lange hadn’t done with a brand new artist for 20 years. That last artist? Shania Twain.

Through the ups and downs of his burgeoning career, Clark has never lost the initial thrill he experienced early on; the one that comes from playing for an audience and affecting their mood with his songs, voice, and playing. His debut single is in the spotlight today. Your Catch of the Day today is Ashley Clark and "Greyhound", new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.