Jason Isbell’s Long Lost Twin Clyde is Jealous of Brother’s Success

“He should have never left the Drive By Truckers. Dumbest thing he ever did!”
This is one of many accusations from Clyde Isbell—the rarely talked-about identical twin brother of Americana star Jason Isbell, and co-frontman of a local Allman Brothers cover band in Alabama. Saving Country Music tracked down Clyde in a trailer park outside of Muscle Shoals to ask him about his brother’s recent success, and attempt to determine why the lives of the once close siblings have forked in such separate directions. Clyde is currently barred from leaving the state due to probationary stipulations, and Jason just walked away with a couple of Grammy Awards two weeks ago for his latest record Something More Than Free.
“All those awards shows are rigged anyway. We know that,” says Clyde, taking a pull directly off a bottle of Jack Daniels as we sit and chat on a stained couch with sunken cushions. Unlike Jason, whose been evidencing a more svelte, clean cut look recently with shorter hair an a sinewy build, the puffy and greasy Clyde appears to have not shaved or showered for days. Only the penetrating eyes are left to give the two 37-year-olds away as siblings. I notice an eviction notice peeking out from under a litter of Budget Gourmet trays, with the sides of the cardboard stained in a ring by the browning of their original microwavable contents, and their bottoms licked clean by a red-nosed pit bull that lounges with a menacing scowl in the corner among a pile of dirty laundry. Cigarette butts pepper the floor, and Budweiser cans are strewn about. A calendar from 2009 featuring pictures of windmills is tacked crookedly into the fake wood panel walls.
“Jason stole all my licks, and most of my songs,” Clyde accuses. “I taught him everything he knows.”
Even mentioning his brother’s name appears to immediately evoke a shot of anger in Clyde. “He should have never let Dierks Bentley off the hook for stealing ‘In A Razor Town,'” he says. Clyde points to that moment in January 2012 when Jason publicly accused Dierks Bentley of lifting parts of “In A Razor Town” for his hit “Home” as the moment things went south between the two. “Hell I was the one who wrote most of that song anyway,” Clyde says.

Things got especially bad for Clyde when he was caught impersonating Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford at a sports card convention and charging patrons $25 for autographs. Clyde was charged with fraud, as well as drunk and disorderly conduct and for punching a police officer during the incident.
“Sibling envy can regularly manifest itself into delusional recollections and narcissistic rage,” explains psychoanalyst Christopher Frankenfurter. “It appears Clyde Isbell has some unresolved issues due to the gap in success between him and his brother.”
But that’s not how Clyde Isbell sees it. “He’s a faker,” Clyde says. “You can’t sing it unless you’ve lived it. Pretty wife, cute kid, a bunch of meaningless trophies, there’s no soul in that. Being a destitute and lonely singer playing to empty bars and blaming everyone else for your problems, that’s what real musicians do.”
Matthew Stafford couldn’t be reached for comment.
February 29, 2016 @ 8:45 am
LOL!
Good work my friend!
February 29, 2016 @ 8:52 am
Lmao this is one of the best ones yet. Very funny Trig
February 29, 2016 @ 8:55 am
Slow news day?
February 29, 2016 @ 9:17 am
Don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve been trying to track down Clyde Isbell for years.
February 29, 2016 @ 8:56 am
JEEZ PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER CLYDE
February 29, 2016 @ 8:56 am
Well played.
February 29, 2016 @ 9:01 am
Holy Cow, I thought this was real at first and thought you were being a major asshole. In other news, isn’t it amazing how much better people look once they can afford a stylist? (and obviously start working out) I think Isbell could be Willie Geist’s (The Today Show) brother. They really resemble each other.
February 29, 2016 @ 9:16 am
Don’t you mean after someone gets clean?
February 29, 2016 @ 9:14 am
When did “savingcountrymusic.com” become a Parody News Site? Slow News Day INDEED!
February 29, 2016 @ 9:23 am
That’s more than just getting clean. That obviously helped, but it didn’t style his hair or his pick out his new clothes.
February 29, 2016 @ 9:23 am
I fell for it until reading the comments granted it does sound like that cheesy netflix movie that was a spin on Elvis.
February 29, 2016 @ 9:39 am
“Frankenfurter” strikes again. 🙂
February 29, 2016 @ 9:45 am
He and Bart Garfunkel should get together.
February 29, 2016 @ 9:58 am
I’ve met Clyde. I thought he was dead now.
February 29, 2016 @ 10:19 am
I’m guessing Clyde and our very own Lil Dale are neighbors.
February 29, 2016 @ 10:27 am
Clyde’s got the cooler of the two first names. Can’t have everything, you know.
February 29, 2016 @ 11:02 am
I agree with Clyde. He should never have left Drive by Truckers.
February 29, 2016 @ 11:27 am
Does he still play electric bass?
February 29, 2016 @ 11:47 am
Plays it with finesse and grace.
February 29, 2016 @ 6:31 pm
Set on the porch ain’t got no shoes.
February 29, 2016 @ 7:52 pm
pickin’ the bass and singin’ the blues…
March 2, 2016 @ 9:27 am
Woop woop
May 2, 2023 @ 4:36 am
His old dog sings harmony
February 29, 2016 @ 11:31 am
Yes there are often problems between music-making siblings.
I know that FAK also having problem with them tearing at each other, especially of course, during tours.
And they have reduced the number of tours because of it.
Here is the answer they gave to a question from the interviewer if they’ve got so so angry with each other that one of them threatened to quit the band:
https://youtu.be/6sM1mcujcns?t=5m46s
February 29, 2016 @ 6:44 pm
But is that the reason they aren’t touring this year? Or are they working on a new album?
March 1, 2016 @ 10:25 am
I don’t know. I hope they are working on a new album. That’s one of the reason they gave for taking a pause from the touring.
It’s is no secret that they have problems to get along sometimes. But as the interview indicate they are aware of it. And trying to work it out. On their last tour, they had their whole family with them, (parents and their kid brother), and an Australian photographer who documented the tour. Maybe that took a little of the pressure of them, having other people,close to them, whom they could talk to.
I think one source of friction between them is that Klara voice has a greater range than Joanna’s. And I think,but this is pure speculation on my part, that she is a bit jealous of, or feel inferior to her sister because of it. But I really hope i’m wrong, otherwise this must have been awful for her:
Last summer at the Newport Folk Festival 2015 Johanna got a sore throat. And could not sing. And despite the fact that most of their songs are heavily dependent on harmony singing ,(since they are to some extend written that way), Klara sang the whole show herself. With the exception of “America” ”‹”‹which she replaced with a cover of Lucinda’s “Side of the Road” instead.(She probebly could have sung “America” solo to, but it’s Johanna’s favorite song and I don’t think she ever would let her sing it without her…)
And I’ve seen comments on youtube from people saying that she should skip her sister and go solo. Which in my opinion is just nonsense, and a tragedy really, because none of their voices are individually better than they are combined. But there are also people who want Johanna to sing more on their albums so it goes both ways…
It has been very quiet about them, for six months now,no interviews, and nothing about touring or album. They did have a christmas concert in Sweden though together with three other Swedish girl bands.
And a couple of days ago they played at a fashion show that the French fashion brand Chanel had in Los Angeles. Can’t understand why they are doing gigs like that one though. Fashion people are hardly among their fans. Something that stands quite clear on this little short video snippet: http://www.pikore.com/m/1193235488408951123_2635085
I can only see one person who, at least, seem to be listens to them. They migh just as well put up an record player where instead…I hope they at least got a lot of money for it. But maybe they just wanted get away from the Swedish winter for a while…Anyhow I do think it would be better if they used their time to work on a new album instead…
February 29, 2016 @ 11:33 am
Have seen Jason several times play in Glasgow most recently in January 2016. He is amazing and so talented . Never heard of Clyde ……
February 29, 2016 @ 11:41 am
Saw Clyde isbell perform last year in Greenville, put on a pretty good show, but the cops came in and arrested him for back child support and a break in at the Twinkie factory. Oh well another shooting star burns out before it can light up the world
February 29, 2016 @ 11:55 am
Damn. There would have to be a Twinkie factory where he had a gig. The temptations of the road.
February 29, 2016 @ 11:49 am
Thanks Trig, definitely needed an uplift after watching the new Stapleton video a few times in a row.
February 29, 2016 @ 12:11 pm
Ha! I fucking fell for this one. I started looking for the fake news tag after the bit about impersonating Matthew Stafford.
I’m going to Isbell Wednesday night!
February 29, 2016 @ 1:00 pm
If your a Big Dbt fan you would no right away !! I’ve saw Jason when he was with the truckers at a early age and , saw him solo for Sirens and have seen JI & the 400 unit a lot , but what this is called is getting healthy!!! There’s still a month away from April. He also was Pancho from Townes great song in his first life
February 29, 2016 @ 1:01 pm
If this were actually real, I don’t think there would’ve been a twitter feud as most families prefer to keep most feuds private (and I do say most).
Also “He should have never left the Drive By Truckers. Dumbest thing he ever did!”
Oh yeah just as he never should’ve stopped drinking 10 full Jack Daniels and Jim Beam bottles per day either. Whether he left on his own accord or got fired is open to interpretation but either way it was probably the best thing to happen in his life and his career so…LOGIC!
Also, ain’t he an only child anyway? It’s either that or I think he has a sister.
February 29, 2016 @ 8:06 pm
I think he is the only child of his parents, but he does have at least one half-sister, maybe 2.
February 29, 2016 @ 9:12 pm
BTW Trigger I’m not bashing your writing of this gag article, I’m just pointing out I think his real family is very proud of his recent success, especially with him winning two Grammy’s.
February 29, 2016 @ 1:14 pm
thanks a lot for the laughs.
February 29, 2016 @ 1:28 pm
Classic.
March 1, 2016 @ 12:58 am
Until you finger pick Sweet Melissa, drunk and amidst a pile of 305 butts , you can’t tell me shit.
-Clyde
March 1, 2016 @ 2:17 am
The difference between the music that Isbell created then and now is night and day. No Grammy is going to have me favoring the new over the old, his past stuff was just better in my opinion. Could he have created it without being a belligerent drunk? I don’t know but I am glad we got the DBT gold we did.
March 1, 2016 @ 10:08 am
is Clyde not married to Amanda shires twin sister betty lou Thelma shire isbell.?