Klay was born and raised in Grundy, Virginia. He graduated from Grundy Senior High School in 1996. He attended Southwest Virginia Community College and received an Associates Degree in Administration of Justice.

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At the age of 15, all his friends seemed to play some type of musical instrument. He decided to get a guitar and join the crowd. He really sucked at it. After realizing that playing a stringed instrument wasn't for him, he decided to try playing drums. After giving the drums a go, he really enjoyed it and purchased his first set at age 16.

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He was in a couple of bands in High School. One was called Screwdriver. The other was called OinsUideT. Both bands played mostly heavy metal. They played a few shows around the region. They would mostly just practice at his house and drive his parents crazy.

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In October 2004, he moved to Lebanon. It was there he met and worked with Shannon Smith, (our rhythm guitarist and singer), from 2011 onward.

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In April 2018, he started playing music Shannon Smith and Rodney Davidson of what is now called Coal Camp Revival. In July, Kris Yates, Klay's friend since elementary school, joined in as bass and backup vocals.