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Willie Clayton (born March 29, 1955) is an American Chicago blues and soul-blues singer and songwriter. He has recorded over 25 albums since the 1980s. He has been performing since the late 1960s. His chart successes span the decades from the 1980s onward.

Allmusic noted that Clayton is "one of those vocalists who could sing the phone book and the result would sound perfectly phrased and memorable." Along with Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor, and Little Milton, Clayton was one of the most important figures in Chicago blues in the 1970s and 1980s.

Biography

Clayton was born in Indianola, Mississippi, one of 11 siblings. He sang gospel in his church as a youngster. Duplex Records issued his debut single, "That's the Way Daddy Did" (1969). In 1971, Clayton relocated to Chicago, Illinois, and appeared regularly in local clubs. He was introduced to Al Green's record producer, Willie Mitchell, who signed Clayton to a recording contract with Pawn, a subsidiary label of Hi Records. Mitchell produced several tracks with Clayton, including "I Must Be Losin' You," "It's Time You Made Up Your Mind," and "Baby You're Ready," but none of them reached the national charts. Clayton toured nationally on the same bill as Green, James Brown and Barry White, before creating his own label, Sky Hero, which issued "Living with You, But My Heart Is Somewhere Else."

Clayton released the single "Rock You" for the Good Luck record label in 1980. The song was written and produced by the Lu-Cor Music team of Maurice Commander and Jerline Shelton-Commander, as well as, S. Harris (according to label printing). Another Chicago-based artist who made on the Billboard chart and Soul Train with the efforts of the Lu-Cor team (Morris Jefferson) later covered the song for the re-release of the album Rock You! in the late 1980s.

Clayton then joined Compleat Records. He issued a couple of singles before "Tell Me", produced by General Crook, was a modest hit in 1984. It was followed on the US Billboard R&B chart by "What a Way to Put It." He returned to the R&B chart in 1989, credited by Polydor Records as Will Clayton, with "Never Too Late" and "Tell Me" (a different song from his earlier hit), followed by "I Wanna Be Where You Are", on which he was co-credited with Audrey Wheeler, a former runner-up in the Miss Black Universe contest, who also recorded with Jeff Lorber and Omar Chandler and worked as a session singer. Clayton also recorded a number of albums with Ichiban Records. In 1992, a joint compilation album with Bobby McClure, Bobby McClure & Willie Clayton, was released by Hi Records.

In 1993, Ace Records released the album Let's Get Together, followed by Simply Beautiful and It's About Love (1999). His 1998 album, Something to Talk About, reached number 14 on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart. Clayton had similar chart successes for the following ten years. Something to Talk About included his duet with Tyrone Davis on the song "Mine All Mine" and his cover versions of the songs "Something to Talk About" and "Heart of the City." Clayton started another record label, EndZone, in the late 1990s. He signed with Malaco Records in 2005.

Clayton recorded his version of "I Can't Stand the Rain" on his 2008 album Soul & Blues. My Tyme, which was released the same year, was his third album in a five-year period to peak at number 83 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart. He returned to the singles chart in 2010, after an absence of over 20 years, with his recording of "We Both Grown", a duet with Dave Hollister

His latest album, I Am Rhythm & Blues, was released in 2012. In May 2013, Clayton performed at the Leflore County Civic Center in Greenwood, Mississippi.

Chart discography

Albums

Singles

Accolades

• 2021 - Winner - Jackson Music Awards - Best Recording by a Single Artist - “Love Don’t Hurt Me”.
• 2021 - Winner - Jackson Music Awards - Record of the Year - “Love Don’t Hurt Me”.

See also

• List of Chicago blues musicians
• List of soul-blues musicians
• List of soul musicians
• List of R&B musicians

References

1. ^ Ron Wynn (1955-03-29). "Willie Clayton | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-10-10.
2. ^ "Willie Clayton – Awards". AllMusic. 1955-03-29. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
3. Leggett, Steve (2008-11-04). "Soul and Blues – Willie Clayton: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
4. Price, Emmett George (2011). Encyclopedia of African American Music, Volume 3 (1st ed.). Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 197. ISBN 978-0-313-34199-1.
5. "Biography". Willie Clayton. 2013-01-18. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
6. "Willie Clayton – Rock You". Discogs.com. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
7. "Rock You! – Morris Jefferson". Mmp3free.com. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
8. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–1995. Record Research. p. 83. ISBN 978-0898201154.
9. Whitburn, 1996, p.476
10. ^ "Willie Clayton". Soulbluesmusic.com. 1955-03-29. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
11. "Bobby McClure & Willie Clayton – Bobby McClure: Releases". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-03-27.
12. "Mine All Mine – Willie Clayton, Tyrone Davis: Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. 1998-06-02. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
13. "Mine All Mine". Jet. Vol. February 28, 2005. A. Johnson. p. 57.
14. Hamilton, Andrew (1998-06-02). "Something to Talk About – Willie Clayton: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
15. Leggett, Steve (2008-11-04). "Soul and Blues – Willie Clayton: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
16. "I Am Rhythm & Blues – Willie Clayton: Releases". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
17. "Willie Clayton Tour Dates 2013 – Willie Clayton Concert Dates and Tickets". Songkick. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
18. ^ Service, Jackson Advocate News (2021-08-16). "2021 Virtual Jackson Music Awards winners". Jackson Advocate. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved 2024-06-28.

External links

• Official website
• Willie Clayton discography at Discogs
• Discography and biography at Soulbluesmusic.com
• A feature with an interview on Willie Clayton in Soul Express, part 1
• The Willie Clayton Story, part 2, 1993–2002
• The Willie Clayton Story, part 3, 2002–2022

• 1955 births
• Living people
• American blues singers
• American male singers
• American soul singers
• Chicago blues musicians
• People from Indianola, Mississippi
• Blues musicians from Mississippi
• Songwriters from Mississippi
• Songwriters from Illinois
• American male songwriters