Booking Les Claypool

Les Claypool Biography

The American musician, actor, and author Les Claypool was born Leslie Edward Claypool in 1963 in California. Claypool grew up in the El Sobrante area of the state, where he feel in love with music as a child and vowed to become a guitar player as an adult. Today, Claypool is known as one of the era’s most sought-after and respected guitarists, but mostly he is known for establishing and leading the band Primus.

Primus was established in the 1980’s, and today is known for its unique blend of thrash-funk or “funk metal,” thanks in part to Claypool’s ability to incorporate funk influences into a predominantly “metal” sounding band. Despite the band’s unusual sound, Primus rose to prominence quickly in the early 1990’s, performing at notable festivals such as Lollapalooza and also on late night television shows such as Late Night with Conan O’Brien. The band has enjoyed enduring and lasting success well into the new millennium’s second decade.

In addition to his work with Primus, Les Claypool has participated in countless collaborations and solo work, including: his solo album “Les Claypool and the Holy Mackerel presents”; the collaborative supergroup Oysterhead (with Trey Anastasio and Stewart Copeland); the experimental rock group Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade; and additional solo albums such as Of Whales and Woe.

Off the stage, Les Claypool has also produced his first feature-length film, the mockumentary Electric Apricot: Quest for Festeroo; and published his first fictional book, South of the Pumphouse. Both works arrived in 2006. Most recently, Les Claypool launched his collaboration with Sea Lennon via the studio album Monolith of Phobos. The album arrived in the summer of 2016 and coincided with a performance by the duo at Bonnaroo.