David Clayton-Thomas, Lead Singer of Blood, Sweat & Tears, Dies at 84

Staff Report –

David Clayton-Thomas, a homeless Toronto runaway who learned guitar in prison and went on to become the lead singer of the gritty, blues-inspired band Blood, Sweat & Tears, whose songs like “Spinning Wheel” and covers like “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” neared the top of the Billboard charts, died on Wednesday in Toronto. He was 84. His publicist, Eric Alper, confirmed the death, at a hospital, but did not provide a cause, according to reporting from The New York Times.

Mr. Clayton-Thomas joined Blood, Sweat & Tears in 1968, shortly after it formed, and quickly became an indelible part of the group and crucial to its popularity. A self-taught, charismatic frontman with a burly physique and a snarling, bluesy tenor, he stood out in a nine-member ensemble filled with jazz- and conservatory-trained musicians.

Clive Davis, who was then president of Columbia Records, wrote in his memoir about his first meeting with Mr. Clayton-Thomas: “He jumped right out at you. He seemed so genuine, so in command of the lyric lines, a perfect combination of fire and emotion to go with the band’s somewhat cerebral appeal. He was almost animalistic.”

BS&T, as the band was often called, was for several years a stadium-filling act that fused rock ’n’ roll with elements of pop and big-band jazz. It was known for its funky rhythm and psychedelic guitar licks, with “a four-piece brass section that punctured the group’s rock flow with sharp, rhythmic blast,” the critic Mike Jahn wrote in The New York Times in 1968.

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Mr. Clayton-Thomas left BS&T in 1972, citing burnout from touring, dueling egos and disputes over the band’s business affairs. He had also developed a reputation for heavy alcohol and drug use, and belligerent behavior.

Read the full feature obituary here.

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