David Clayton Thomas

Press Release: (Toronto, Ontario) June 8, 2010

 Canada’s Walk of Fame, together with Canwest unveiled the names of the 2010 inductees for The Canada Honours. The seven inductees will each receive their tribute on Saturday, October 16 at Toronto’s Canon Theatre. The Canada Honours will be broadcast on Global and Slice™ following the gala ceremony (date and time TBA).

The 13th annual Canada’s Walk of Fame will add the following Canadian icons to its current list of 124 inductees:

•    David Clayton-Thomas
•    Nelly Furtado
•    Doug Henning
•    Clara Hughes
•    Eric McCormack
•    Farley Mowat
•    Sarah Polley

   Established in 1998, Canada’s Walk of Fame aims to educate, inform, and inspire through the permanent celebration of the achievements in Canadian music, sport, film and television as well as the literary, visual and performing arts, and science and innovation.  The annual celebration culminates in a televised tribute special that honours Canada’s finest stars from the worlds of arts, entertainment, and sports. Each inductee is immortalized, their names forever cemented into the sidewalks of Toronto’s entertainment district.  To date, 124 Canadians have been honoured including Margaret Atwood, Jim Carrey, Steve Nash, Michael J. Fox and Celine Dion. A complete list of inductees along with more information on Canada’s Walk of Fame can be found at www.canadaswalkoffame.com

David Clayton-Thomas & The Ottawa Symphony Orchestra

The Centrepointe Theatre in Ottawa hosted a superb concert on Friday night. David Clayton-Thomas and his 10 piece Toronto big band in concert with The Ottawa Symphony Orchestra. Following on the heels of David's triumphant appearance at Massey Hall with the Toronto Symphony word had spread to Ottawa and the beautiful 1000 seat theatre was completely sold out.  The concert was given an enthusiastic reception by an  audience of rock, jazz and classical music fans who came from as far away as Montreal and Toronto. David was in fine form and was obviously having a great time with the 60 plus musicians on stage. 
See the Ottawa Citizen review on the (Press) page.

Photo by Peter Waiser

  Blood Sweat and Tears

   David's autobiography entitled "Blood Sweat and Tears" has been published by Penguin Press and will released in hardcover on September 7th, 2010. 
    Blood Sweat & Tears, the jazz-rock band that rocketed to the very top of the music industry then imploded just as spectacularly. The title not only describes his years with the band but it's the perfect metaphor for his turbulent life story.
   The incredible journey from homeless street kid to Grammy Award winning recording artist. From a prison cell to a penthouse and all the triumphs and tragedies along the way.
   A big brawling story, from the bareknuckled bars of Canada to the Met and Carnegie Hall.  A story of survival on the streets of New York, the fantasy world that is Hollywood, his decades of life on the road and the peace he finally found.
   A compelling inside look at the music business, stardom and politics told a man who did it all. A story of courage and determination set in the tumultuous times in which he lived and told in his own words.
  

    Cover photo taken at Woodstock, August 17th, 1969

The Evergreens

    Sometimes raunchy and funky and at other times touching and vulnerable these songs tell the story of his life. This is a beautifully balanced and coherent album. The songs are bluesy and honest, the lyrics are straight from the heart and the vocals are classic Clayton-Thomas. This is quite simply a great recording... Powerful and unforgettable.
   This is David's last collaboration with life-long friend and musical partner Doug "Doc" Riley.  Riley's influence is all over this record from the funky R&B influenced arrangements to his soulful keyboard work. Doc passed away in the final days of recording and this album includes David's moving tribute to his friend "A Blues For Doc."
   This collection of 13 new original compositions is available now in stores on Fontana North/Universal Records or at the (Online Store) at this site.

  Massey Hall

   Toronto audiences were rewarded by two outstanding concerts at Massey Hall this Valentine's Day weekend. David's 10 piece band was blazing hot as they teamed up with 60 piece  Toronto Symphony Orchestra. The classic hits from the BS&T era sounded amazing with full symphony scores and the new songs from David's "Evergreens" album hit the hometown fans right in the heart.
   Kudos to conductor Brigham Phillips who led the orchestra through a spirited set of concerts and to several members of the DCT band who lit up the venerable old hall. Special mention goes to Colleen Allen who shone on baritone sax and flute and to tenorman Michael Stuart who rocked the house with his funky solo work on Lucretia McEvil. The entire DCT band was tight and precise and melded perfectly with the mighty TSO. Drummer Paul DeLong and bassist George Koller were rock solid throughout. David's vocals were intense and emotional but the show never lost that element of pure joy than marks a great Clayton-Thomas performance
   Massey Hall's acoustics are legendary and the 2300 seat hall was completely sold out both nights.  It was a warm and emotional weekend with a great band, a highly motivated orchestra and one of the most original vocalists in the business.

 The CAB Hall Of Fame

The Canadian Association Of Broadcasters held their annual Gold Ribbon Awards Gala at the Westin, Ottawa, Monday evening.  Each year this prestigious convention inducts national media luminaries into their Hall Of Fame.  This year in the ”Music Stars” category, the CAB inducted David Clayton-Thomas.
    Following a video presentation honoring the Clayton-Thomas career, David took the stage with “And When I Die” to an audience of Canada’s leading disc jockeys and program directors, station owners and TV executives,  a tough crowd… halfway through the first song they were singing along.
   Then he kicked into “Spinning Wheel”  the Clayton-Thomas composition was recently inducted into the National Songwriters Hall Of Fame.
   The closer was electrifying… “The Evergreens”  The new song is an intensely personal statement and it brought a hush over the audience.  It ended with a joyous “Oh Yeah”  Everybody on their feet, hands in the air.
   David was presented with his Hall Of Fame Award, gave a brief acceptance speech thanking his friends in the Canadian Broadcast industry for their support over the years and a memorable evening drew to a close.
  

The Canadian National Exhibition
Grandstand Show

The concert at the CNE was a high spirited, fun show with a dramatic closer. As the last notes of the encore died away and the band took its bows, the heavens opened and the rain came down in buckets. The timing was perfect. The audience delivered a final standing ovation and ran for cover.
The set was hot… playing at home with friends and family in the audience. The band was fired up and David was loose and comfortable. It was a great show (nearly 2 hrs.) and he moved easily through his own history, a natural storyteller, interjecting stories from the times that gave birth to his songs.
The voice is as unique and expressive as ever... he is quite simply one of the best singers in the business. The phrasing and timing have matured over the years and his delivery is immaculate.  You can see why great musicians love to play with him.  He drives the band with an unshakable groove and bang-on pitch but more that, he gets inside a lyric and gives it the fire and emotional context that raises the music to another level.
A lovely Labor Day evening with a surprise ending...  Toronto’s music lovers were treated to a stellar performance by an all-star group of musicians and a legendary vocalist.

The Fallsview Concert

The Avalon Ballroom at Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls Ontario, was the site for David’s last concert of 2007. Tickets went on sale in August and sold out in the first week. Fans from all over upstate New York and southern Ontario packed the 1200 seat room. It is a beautiful multi-level theatre with big plush seats, great sound and state of the art production.
The concert was outstanding... The songs from the BS&T era sounded better than ever, with expanded arrangements and a bigger band bringing new life to the classic 70's hits.
There was new music.... three new Clayton-Thomas songs recently recorded for “The Evergreens” CD.
It was a new song... “A Blues For Doc” that was the high point of the evening. A moving farewell to his friend, the late Doug “Doc” Riley, the song was written by David and recorded just a few days before the concert... it had never been performed live and it nearly stopped the show. David’s gripping performance, his heartfelt lyric and Bruce Cassidy’s brilliant arrangement brought the crowd to its feet with tears streaming down their faces.

Aug. 28, 2007 08:55 PM Canadian Press

Celebrated arranger and keyboardist Doug Riley, considered to be a pillar of the Canadian music industry, has died of a sudden heart attack. He was 62.
Riley’s lifelong friend, singer David Clayton-Thomas, said the death was a sudden blow to everyone who knew the musician, an accomplished artist whose work included collaborations with Ray Charles, Placido Domingo, Ringo Starr, Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray, Sylvia Tyson, Dan Hill and Bob Seger.
“Canada just lost a musical giant,” Clayton-Thomas said by phone from Montreal, his voice shaking with emotion. “And as a person, anybody who knew Doc knows that he had a heart that was just so big. I can’t imagine life without him.”

Riley’s diverse career began in his teens when he played R&B with the Silhouettes in Toronto and went on to include keyboard and production work for a who’s who in the Canadian music industry and accomplished forays into musical genres including jazz, classical, film scores and ballet. He wrote more than 2,000 jingles, arranged music for several films and television programs and appeared as an arranger and keyboard player on Ray Charles’ 1968 LP "Doing His Thing"
He was awarded the Order of Canada in 2004.
“It’s hard to say what he meant to me, he was my closest musical collaborator and my dearest friend and I loved him beyond what I could tell you,” said Clayton-Thomas.
Veteran Toronto music journalist Larry LeBlanc called Riley “A Canadian mix of Duke Ellington, Allen Toussaint, and Henry Mancini... If Toronto had a Music Row or a Broadway, its lights would be dimmed for a week.”

Haugesund is a small fishing village on the fjords of Norway an hour's flight from Oslo. Every year the little town welcomes thousands of music lovers to the Haugesund Jazz Festival. The streets are packed round the clock with fans from all over Europe. It's a 24 hour a day party for one week featuring the biggest names in jazz. Norwegian hospitality is legendary and the festival is beautifully produced. David and his band played to a sold out Maritime Hall (1200 seats) and the concert was a joy... The Canadians were obviously having a great time in Norway and it showed in their performance. The National Press gave the concert a rare 6 star review.

 

David and the band just back from Russia... sold out concerts in St. Petersburg and Moscow attest to the long standing fan loyalty in Russia and the Eastern European countries.
This goes back to the historic BS&T tours in the early 70's and has continued down through the years, to DCT concerts today.
The St. Petersburg show was in a beautiful old symphony hall, 1,800 fans gave David and his Canadian band a rousing welcome to Russia. The set was outstanding... and the encore, "God Bless The Child" left the capacity crowd cheering for more.
On to Moscow and a jam packed rock hall, to a standing audience of mostly young people... shoulder to shoulder, right up to the edge of the stage. David and the band gave an explosive 2 hour performance and again left the young Russian audience screaming for more.
A special thanks to concert organizer Alex Ivanov and his son Andrew, for attending to every detail and for making it a smooth and successful visit.

David and singer Dione Taylor co-hosted this year's National Jazz Awards at Toronto’s Palais Royale. The legends of Canadian Jazz were honoured, Phil Nimmons, Guido Basso and Peter Appleyard along with exciting contemporary figures on the Canadian music scene like Mike Murley, Diana Krall and Michael Buble.
Two members of David’s band, George Koller (bass) and Russ Little (trombone) received their own 2007 National Jazz Awards.
It was a warm and wonderful evening filled with old friends, brilliant talent and the who’s who of the Canadian music business.
Also receiving National Jazz Awards were Justin Time Records as "Jazz Label Of The Year" and its President, Jim West, for his outstanding contributions to the Canadian music industry

Photo by Bill King

David's jazz/rock classic “Spinning Wheel” was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame on January 28, 2007. The induction Gala was held at The Toronto Convention Centre and will be aired on CBC/TV on March 5th at 8:00pm.

Photos by Grant Martin

“Spinning Wheel” performed by David and his Toronto big band received an enthusiastic ovation from the audience of music industry luminaries. Songs by fellow inductee Joni Mitchell were honored with outstanding performances by songwriting legend James Taylor (Woodstock) R&B diva Chaka Kahn accompanied by jazz giant Herbie Hancock (Help Me) and soprano Measha Brueggergosman (Both Sides Now)

The historic Spectrum Theatre was the site for David's appearance at the 2006 Montreal Jazz Festival. The set opened with “And When I Die.” Then a stunning change of pace as David delivered a gripping rendition of Billie Holiday’s “Don’t Explain” sitting alone on a stool in a single spotlight, accompanied by Doug “Doc” Riley with an acoustic jazz trio. The song brought a hush over the crowded room and when the last note died away, the hardcore jazz fans rose to their feet in the first standing ovation of the evening

It was one of those magical evenings that words can’t adequately describe... the show was filmed for a Bravo TV Special and a DVD to be released early in 2007 by Justin Time Records. A video production set-up with six cameras and 5.1 surround sound audio captured the entire event for posterity.

Montreal Jazz Festival Photos
Diane Moon
Dominique LaFond

The new CD, “David Clayton-Thomas In Concert.... A Musical Biography" is now available in stores, at JustinTime.com or at the (Online Store) on this site. This is David Clayton-Thomas at his best, recorded live with his 11 piece big band at The Opera House in Toronto in October 2005. The album sizzles with energy and covers the entire Clayton-Thomas career, from his early compositions like “Spinning Wheel” “Go Down Gamblin” and “Lucretia MacEvil”, to brand new songs written especially for this recording.

AURORA

The new David Clayton-Thomas CD... entitled ”AURORA” was released March 16, 2005 on Justin Time Records.
  One is immediately taken by the spirit and personality of this album, forget about labels and formats... jazz and rock, blues and soul, all live together in complete harmony on this extraordinary recording. This is just great music... cut “live” in the studio... a summit meeting of great musicians, with a gifted vocalist and a collection of unforgettable songs.