Double Bassist Master Gunnery Sergeant Aaron Clay of Fairmont, W. Va., joined “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in July 1994. He was appointed principal and section leader in March 2013.

Master Gunnery Sgt. Clay began his musical instruction at age 15. After graduating in 1985 from Fairmont Senior High School, he earned a bachelor’s degree in music from West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon in 1990, where he studied with Richard Manspeaker.

Prior to joining “The President’s Own,” he was a double bassist with the U.S. Navy Band.

Master Gunnery Sgt. Clay performs with the Marine Band and Marine Chamber Orchestra at the White House, in the Washington, D.C., area, and across the country during the band’s annual concert tour. He was a featured soloist performing Vittorio Monti’s “Czardas” with the Marine Band during the 2005 national concert tour to the southwest.