Joy Clark: Tell It to the Wind

Some artists perform for an audience. Joy Clark draws everyone in the room into the song.

Louisiana-born singer-songwriter and guitarist Joy Clark creates music with warmth, honesty and a quiet emotional power that stays with you. Blending socially conscious folk storytelling, blues-soaked guitar and the rhythms of Southeast Louisiana with the soul-centered music of her childhood, Clark has developed a sound that is unmistakably her own.

Her musical journey began in her father’s church, where she learned how a song can welcome people, move a room and create a genuine sense of connection. That same gentle but commanding presence now carries through every performance, from her intricate rhythm playing and expressive lead guitar to vocals that can be tender one moment and quietly triumphant the next. Clark toured as a guitarist and vocalist with Allison Russell and contributed guitar to Russell’s Grammy-nominated album The Returner.

She has also performed with Grammy-winning New Orleans legend Cyril Neville, toured with Ani DiFranco, Madeleine Peyroux and Dar Williams, and shared stages with Brandi Carlile, Indigo Girls and SistaStrings. In 2026, she appeared as a special performer at the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame Induction Celebration honoring some of the most influential figures in American roots music.

Her debut album, Tell It to the Wind, was released by Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records and produced by four-time Grammy-nominated artist Margaret Becker. Across nine deeply personal songs, Clark weaves folk’s social consciousness together with Louisiana rhythm, soul, resilience and hard-won hope. For listeners drawn to the emotional clarity of Tracy Chapman, the independent spirit of Ani DiFranco and the deep musical roots of the American South, this is an opportunity to experience a remarkable artist in the setting her songs deserve: up close, attentive and completely live.

NAMBA’s intimate room places you just a few feet from the music. No distant arena, no giant video screens, no binoculars dangling around anyone’s neck. Just artist, audience, guitar and the kind of connection that makes a live performance matter.

Join us for an evening of extraordinary songwriting, soulful musicianship and music that carries both strength and tenderness.