At age 15, Jonathan Clay marched into his parents’ Magnolia, Texas, bedroom at 9 p.m. to announce: “Zach and I are going to be musicians.” Clay’s mother responded: “OK, honey.” He and his friend, Zach ...

Before landing the contract to write the songs for The Outsiders, a hit new Broadway musical that—thanks to its twelve Tony nominations and four wins—just became a bigger hit, Jonathan Clay had, by ...