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​Minnesota's Clayton Ryan is made of a different soil.
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His music isn't available on streaming services. His albums are entirely crowd-funded, with zero use of kickstarter sites. He has built a career of songwriting in both Los Angeles and Nashville, despite spending the majority of his life in the rustic heartland of America.
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His debut album Ghost Town features soul-country anthems like the title track and "Wild Man," while the power funk of "Mountain Time" and heartbreaking ballad "No Return To Sender" show the versatility beyond country music. His 2025 single Swishers retains his twangy voice and small-town songwriting while dressing it in shimmery gothic rock and edgy punk clothing. His upcoming release Gas Station Social Club is a love letter to the Midwest, with 80's soul and heartland rock style adorning the self-produced LP.
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Clayton Ryan is a working musician before a singer with a guitar.
As a writer, multi-instrumentalist, and performer, he has shared stages with artists like Flatland Cavalry, John Morgan, Collin Raye, Cristina Vane, Jo Dee Messina, Liam St John, and Evan Honer. His songs have been heard in NASCAR, NFL Sunday Night Football, The Outdoor Channel, and WWE, with many more placements in cable and streaming.
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Above all, Clayton Ryan is as transparent and honest as you will get in an independent musician, with his slow and steady career fully on display in the documentary With The Wild Man,
​available on his YouTube channel for free. ​
"First of all, Clayton Ryan has a fantastic voice. Just this huge bellow, this vibrato that just resonates... It's ridiculous."
- Pretty Fort Weekly
"The lost art of the story song. I could almost hear Gordon Lightfoot singing this."
- Marcus Hummon, Grammy-Award Winning Songwriter
"Simply put, Ryan is the kind of singer-songwriter Americana and roots music needs right now. He’s that good."
- B Sides & Badlands
