Guy Clark, who lived from 1941 to 2016, was a man ahead of his time.

Today, he is revered by singer-songwriters and traditional country music fans for his musical stories about the lives and hopes of everyday people.

In his younger days, Clark was frustrated when he looked for success in the Nashville country music scene. After many years, when his songs were recorded by other well-known performers, Clark found mainstream recognition.

On the 50th anniversary of “Old No. 1,” which was his first album, “Old No. 1 at 50: Celebrating the Spirit of Guy Clark,” with performers Michael Braunfeld, Meghan Cary and Peter Farrell, Lance Cowan, Adam and Cate Monaco, Buddy Mondlock, Jack Murray, Rees Shad and Frank Viele, will be presented at 8 p.m. Sept. 19, Godfrey Daniels, Bethlehem.

Rees Shad, who organized the tour, emphasizes that it is a celebration and not a tribute as in a concert by tribute or cover artists.

“The songs are not done exactly how Guy did them. You can interpret them in different ways, maybe like jazzing or bluesing them up,” says Shad.

“In the first set of the show, the performers will do the songs on ‘Old No. 1’ in order, from front to back.

“In the second set, they will respond with their own. They might do a song inspired by one that Guy wrote, or one related to a story about him.”

Some of the performers are multi-instrumentalists, so at times a full band will be playing, without drums.

Many of the performers are singer-songwriters who Shad featured in house concerts that he produced, and who he feels deserve greater recognition.

“I’m trying to do for them what Guy did for me. People have told me, ‘I didn’t listen to your album until I found out Guy was on it,’ I wanted to play it forward,” Shad says in a phone interview.

Tamara Savino wrote Clark’s biography “Without Getting Killed or Caught.” With her husband Paul Whitfield, she co-directed a documentary film of the same title about Clark’s life. She has released her memoir, “Poets and Dreamers: My Life in Americana Music.”

“‘No. 1’ was the first album he did, but not the first released. On the first, the record label brought in a producer with a different style and added instrumentation. Guy hated it.

“He spent all his money on it. For ‘No. 1,’ he brought in demos that he did with his friends. The lesson he learned was that he had to do it his way,” Savino says in a phone interview from Milwaukee.

The record labels made Clark tour with a band, but in later years he would tour with another singer-songwriter, such as his friend Townes Van Zandt, or another guitarist.

“I wanted to do something for the anniversary. I called Rees about doing a show, and he expanded it into a tour. There are different markets featuring local songwriters. Supporting songwriters is a mission of the foundation.” says Savino.

The concert is a benefit for the non-profit Guy Clark Family Foundation.

There are 12 venues on the tour, about half in the northeast, three in Texas and one in Nashville. “We wanted to use storied folk venues like Caffe Lena, Club Passsim, and Godfrey’s that have a reputation with singer-songwriters,” says Shad.

Shad met Clark when he was recommended for a recording session. “On my debut album [‘Anderson, Ohio’] in 1995, I did an epic song that told the story of war fought by three generations [‘Hero’s Son’]. I needed three different voices. Guy came in completely prepared and did the World War II voice.”

The album was a hit on Americana record charts. Americana was then a new category that Clark helped to inspire.

“Ten different people will give you 10 different answers saying what Americana is,” says Savino. “For me, it is about people who write their own songs and play their own instruments.”

The Americana Music Association states, “Americana is contemporary music that incorporates elements of various American roots music styles, including country, roots-rock, folk, bluegrass, R&B and blues.”

The concert not only represents Clark’s music, but the way that he liked to perform. As Shad says, “We’re just trying to have a good time.”

“Old No. 1 at 50: Celebrating the Spirit of Guy Clark,” with Michael Braunfeld, Meghan Cary and Peter Farrell, Lance Cowan, Adam and Cate Monaco, Buddy Mondlock, Jack Murray, Rees Shad, Frank Viele, 8 p.m. Sept. 19, Godfrey Daniels, 7 E. Fourth St., Bethlehem. https://godfreydaniels.org