John D Clements is a "recovering lawyer" who began writing songs shortly before his retirement from a prestigious Birmingham, AL law firm.  Since his retirment he has enjoyed writing and perfoming at a number and variety of regional venues.  Most recently he has performed periodically at the acclaimed Birmingham restaurant The Veranda. John has played his own songs and his versions of classic country, blues, folk and popular favorites at The Veranda on Highland, The Lake Toxaway Community Center, Gable Square Saloon, Local Color in Sringville, Oak Hill , The Sapphire Valley Community Center, The Country Club of Sapphire Valley, Micah's Restaurant in Cashiers, The Oasis, Ciao's Bar & Grille, Moonlight Music Cafe and  others.  John has performed his original songs at the prestigious Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival in Orange Beach, AL..  John has also participated in songwriter nights at The Commodore Lounge in Nashville.  John is a member of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, and The Brimingham Songwriters Association.

John's musical influences go back to his early childhood listening to the radio with his grandfather to Hank Williams, Eddy Arnold, and other country artists of the day.  The influences of bluegrass, string bands, and gospel quartets are part of the reciepe. Throw in the folk era of Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, The Kingston Trio, Peter Paul and Mary, and mix with the rock and roll era started by the King himself in the 50s and the other great Sun recording artists. and sprinkle in the contemporary singer song writers like Guy Clark, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, the late Townes Van Zandt and Ray Charles and you have a great american musical stew to satisfy a variety of musical tastes.

John's original songs range from blues, country, folk ballads and wry humorous tales told thru music.  The classic themes of country music and blues about unrequited love and ill fortune and good times recur in his writings.

John is the creator of a genre of blues he self styles as "Suburban Blues". Suburban Blues' have a slightly different subject matter than that found in traditional blues, i e love gone bad, although John does acknowledge that love can go bad in suburbia.  The initial suburban blues is about a man who goes out and can't get the right kind of wine at his local tavern and the title song of his first CD "I DON'T WANT NO CHARDONNAY'.   John's most recent CD SUBURBAN BLUES contains 12 of John's original songs including the popular  THE 401K BLUES, I KNOW WHEN THEY START, THE HIGHWAY, THE BRAVE YOUNG BOYS and others. A list of John's original songs can be found on his Suburban Blues web site, www.johndclements.net.   You can also download the songs from the site.

John's song, The Brave Young Boys, is based on the story of a young man who was killed in 1944 when his plane went down in New Guinea in the South Pacific in World War II, but whose body was not discovered until 2006. He was brought back to Alabama for burial next to his father.  John played the song to a packed audience at the Lake Toxaway Community Center in Lake Toxaway, NC on Memorial Day weekend 2007and received a standing ovation.

Keep up with John's schedule on the website and enjoy photos from his performances at various venues.