Three-time Woody Guthrie Award-winning songwriter K.C. Clifford is known for her extraordinary voice and captivating stage presence. A well-crafted storyteller, live performance is where she shines brightest. Refreshingly honest, Clifford brings both beauty and authenticity to the stage. The Oklahoma songstress is often compared to singer-songwriters like Patty Griffin and Carole King. Clifford’s story and music were featured on NBC’s hit show “The Biggest Loser”, along with numerous other film and TV placements. Awards and accolades aside, she is most fulfilled as an artist by working alongside food banks across the country in the fight against childhood hunger in America. In March 2009, she wrote an anti-hunger anthem for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma called “Raise Your Voice”. A year later the song was chosen as the theme for CROP Hunger Walk, a worldwide public awareness campaign to help end hunger.
“K.C. is a beautiful woman inside and out. Her songs give hope when hope seems lost, give humor when the seriousness of life gets too heavy, and give words to feelings that many of us hold deep inside and can’t seem to express. K.C. is from Oklahoma City, but she is far from just a local artist,” writes Greg Johnson, owner of The Blue Door.
A mother of two little miracles and the wife of a genius music geek, the Oklahoma native has six full-length albums and two EPs in her catalogue. Clifford is currently in the studio recording her seventh record. An evening spent listening to this compelling storyteller is not soon forgotten.
Clifford’s latest album, Coming Bare, recorded live over two sold out nights at the Blue Door in Oklahoma City, was released in November 2017. Her body of work also includes: The Tag Hollow Sessions, (2012); Orchid, (2010); Pockets Full of Hope: Live at The Blue Door, (2008); Teeth-marks on My Tongue, (2004); and Times Like These, (2000).
“I want to be known as someone who is not afraid of being real,” said Clifford. “Through my songwriting, storytelling and essays, I dive into the vulnerable parts of the human experience. I started writing songs as a way to make sense of the world around me and my own emotional landscape. Truthfully, I write to stay sane and stay alive.” She continues, “At some point along the way, I realized that the songs and stories were helping other people make sense of their experiences, too. I’m fascinated by what we find when the masks and layers are gone, and how much the same we all are at the core. Contrary to popular belief, vulnerability is not weakness. It is strength. You can’t take the beautiful, messy humanity out of life. Every time I take the stage or write a song, my hope is that when it’s over the listener will feel less alone in their lives. It’s the one thing we all need, especially in these times.”
For more information and to listen to her music, please visit the K.C. Clifford’s listing in the Oklahoma Music Directory.