Born on November 1, 1969 in Richmond, Virginia, Chris comes from a family of musicians. His grandfather, J.P. Clarke, was ragtime piano player on Vaudeville, as well as an old time fiddle, guitar and mandolin player. His brother and cousin are both performing artists in Virginia. As a kid, Chris was exposed early on to old time fiddle and bluegrass music at family reunions and pickin' parties. Chris began writing and playing the guitar almost 20 years ago after seeing Bob Dylan perform with the Grateful Dead in 1986. This experience changed his life forever and served as the compass for his musical exploration for the next few years.
During college in Elkins, West Virginia, Chris was exposed to the traditional music masters who took up residence at the Augusta Heritage Center - fiddlers like Ernie Carpenter, Tracy Schwarz and the country blues of John Cephas and Phil Wiggins. It was during this time that Chris would again hear the old time music that he grew up with in eastern Virginia. It was also during this time that Chris would study finger-style blues guitar and develop an ear for writing melodies. While in Elkins, he completed an undergraduate degree in biology and environmental science.
Returning to Virginia in the early 1990s, Chris lived in a turn-of-the-century log cabin on the edge of the Blue Ridge Parkway and continued his "bluegrass woodshedding" period. During the 90’s, Chris finished a master's degree in biology and worked as a freshwater fisheries ecologist before moving to California.
California brought much change. Chris was married to his wife, Tiffany, in 2001 and they continue to host a house concert series at their home in Kensington. Chris met Walt Richards at a mandolin concert and began to study music and the art of the mandolin. Soon after that, Chris met up with Mike Compton and David Long, and was introduced to Bill Monroe-style mandolin playing. This meeting forged both friendships and a new passion for studying the old style mandolin playing. In 2004, Chris formed the Second Hand String Band and began performing regularly at festivals and venues across Southern California.
Chris also teaches and plays mandolin, guitar and upright bass, and performs regularly with the Monroe Avenue String Band.
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