Earl St. Clair

Singer-songwriter Earl St. Clair was born Earl Johnson II in Cleveland. He moved to Alabama at a young age, where he listened to blues and soul musicians such as B.B. King. In 2004, during a family barbecue, his cousins introduced him to music creation software and he instantly became enamored with composing beats. Once he was in college, he found himself spending so much time creating music outside of classes, he decided to drop out and seek a career as a music producer. He moved back to Cleveland and gathered a clientele of local artists. Working alongside them, he gradually transitioned to creating his own music, and eventually discovered a talent for vocals. He hoped to produce songs that would stand the test of time, like the musicians that served as his inspiration when he was young. Adopting the name Earl St. Clair, he belted out rich, bluesy vocals that spanned a range of soulful textures from coarse to smooth. In 2016, he signed with Def Jam Recordings and released his first single, "Man on Fire." He followed this up in March of 2017 with his debut EP, "My Name Is Earl."