David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & Tears has died at 84. The singer and musician passed away “peacefully”, according to what was declared by his publicist Eric Alper, who however did not reveal the causes of death.
Clayton-Thomas was born in London during the Second World War. He is the son of a decorated Canadian soldier and a pianist. Back in Canada, at the age of 14 the boy ran away from home to avoid his father's abuse and began a life on the streets which often led him to spend the night in prison for vagrancy and theft. It was in prison that he received his first guitar from a cellmate and learned to play.
He joined Blood, Sweat & Tears in 1968. Their first self-titled album was an immediate success: it reached first in the American charts and earned the band 5 Grammys, including Best Performance by a Male Vocalist precisely for David's singing qualities.
Clayton-Thomas remained in the band until '72, when he decided to leave to start his own solo career. He returned to the group shortly after, in 1974, to remain until 1981. And then again, after a second short break, from 1984 to 2004. In 2007 he entered the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
According to what he reports Rolling Stone USin Canada they are already preparing a memorial concert in his honor.
From Rolling Stone US.
