Charley Clinkenbeard is a Georgia native and graduated from Morrow High School in 1991. He attended the University of Kentucky and transferred to Centre College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1996. He received his Master of Arts degree from the University of New Orleans in 1999. Although his degrees were in trumpet performance and jazz studies, Charley studied visual arts with contemporary realist painter, Mr. Sheldon Tapley at Centre College. From 2000-2002, he was a technology training specialist for Modelwire, Inc., in New York City.

Charley began his teaching career in the Henry County School System at Smith-Barnes Elementary and Hampton Elementary, teaching art in 2004. In 2006, he began teaching music and art at Smith-Barnes Elementary. His students won numerous grants, including several Smith Foundation grants and were nationally recognized, winning the "Glee-Give-a-Note" Foundation's second place grant. Charley was the SBE "Teacher of the Year" in 2008.

Charley began teaching art at High Shoals Elementary in 2016. Charley and his wife, Melanie, have 2 girls, Jenna and Camryn.