Clayton D. Love Jr. (November 16, 1927 – February 28, 2010) was an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

pianist, who led his own band, the Shufflers, in the early 1950s. He was later a vocalist in

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and 1 ...

's band, the

Kings of Rhythm The Kings of Rhythm are an American music group formed in the late 1940s in Clarksdale, Mississippi and led by Ike Turner through to his death in 2007. Turner would retain the name of the band throughout his career, although the group has underg ...

Biography

Love was born in Mattson, Mississippi, and grew up in Clarksdale. While in high school, he studied

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

under Consuella Carter. He was also taught band theory and techniques by Dr. E. G. Mason. At the age of sixteen, he lied about his age to enlist in the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in 1944. He was sent to Camp Shoemaker in Dublin, California, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, and

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

where he developed his piano skills. After his discharge he studied as a

pre-med Pre-medical (often referred to as pre-med) is an educational track that undergraduate students in the United States pursue prior to becoming medical students. It involves activities that prepare a student for medical school, such as pre-med course ...

at Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College near

Vicksburg Vicksburg most commonly refers to: * Vicksburg, Mississippi, a city in western Mississippi, United States * The Vicksburg Campaign, an American Civil War campaign * The Siege of Vicksburg, an American Civil War battle Vicksburg is also the name of ...

. He began performing in Vicksburg clubs with his band, the Shufflers, before graduating in 1949. His cousin, bandleader Earl Reed, recommended him to the owner of

Trumpet Records Trumpet Records was an American record company founded by Lillian McMurry in Jackson, Mississippi in 1951. Although it existed for only four years, it was influential. History The goal of Trumpet Records was to record musicians from the Mississip ...

Lillian McMurry Lillian Shedd McMurry (December 30, 1921 – March 18, 1999) was one of the earliest American female record producers and owner of Trumpet Records. She was influential in the development of blues music, particularly through her recordings of Sonn ...

, and he first recorded for the

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed dir ...

in 1951. The next year he began recording for the

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...

label, with Raymond Hill's band, and over the following years also recorded for the

Modern Modern may refer to: History * Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Phil ...

and

Groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station * ...

labels.Biography by Bill Dahl at Allmusic.com
Retrieved 2 July 2014 In the mid-1950s he moved to

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

and joined

, singing lead vocals on the tracks "Do You Mean It," "She Made My Blood Run Cold," and "The Big Question," released on

Federal Records Federal Records was an American record label founded in 1950 as a subsidiary of Syd Nathan's King Records and based in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was run by famed record producer Ralph Bass and was mainly devoted to Rhythm & Blues releases. The comp ...

. He also recorded under his own name for the local

Bobbin A bobbin or spool is a spindle or cylinder, with or without flanges, on which yarn, thread, wire, tape or film is wound. Bobbins are typically found in industrial textile machinery, as well as in sewing machines, fishing reels, tape measure ...

record label, backed by a band led by bass player Roosevelt Marks. Love later played on his own and for the sharpies, then he went back to college. He received a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

from

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...

in 1972, then taught elementary school in the St. Louis public school system. He later became an administrator at

Vashon High School Vashon High School is a high school of the St. Louis Public Schools in St. Louis, Missouri. When it opened in 1927, it was the second high school for black students in St. Louis. History Designed by Rockwell M. Milligan, the school opened on Sep ...

. Love continued to perform during the

blues revival The American folk music revival began during the 1940s and peaked in popularity in the mid-1960s. Its roots went earlier, and performers like Josh White, Burl Ives, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Big Bill Broonzy, Billie Holiday, Richard Dyer-Ben ...

scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1986 and 1987, Love toured Europe with former members of the Kings of Rhythm, Jimmy Hinds,

Billy Gayles Billy Gayles (October 19, 1931 – April 8, 1993) was an American rhythm & blues drummer and vocalist. Gayles was a member of Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm in the 1950s with whom he recorded for Flair Records and Federal Records as the lead voc ...

, Erskine Oglesby, Stacy Johnson,

Oliver Sain Oliver Sain Jr. (March 1, 1932 – October 28, 2003) was an American saxophonist, songwriter, bandleader, drummer and record producer, who was an important figure in the development of rhythm and blues music, notably in St Louis, Missouri. B ...

and former Ikette

Robbie Montgomery Robbie Montgomery (born June 16, 1940) is an American singer and restaurateur. She is noted for being one of the original Ikettes in the Ike & Tina Turner Revue in the 1960s. After her tenure as an Ikette, she was a member of the Mirettes, and t ...

, as part of the St. Louis Kings of Rhythm. The St. Louis Kings of Rhythm were officially appointed ambassadors for the City of St. Louis by Mayor

Vincent Schoemehl Vincent C. Schoemehl, Jr. (born October 30, 1946 in St. Louis) was the 42nd mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, serving three terms from 1981 to 1993. At the time of his first election, he was one of the city's youngest mayors. In 1992, Schoemehl was def ...

in 1987. In 1991, he recorded an album, ''Rockin' Eighty-Eights'', with fellow piano players Johnnie Johnson and Jimmy Vaughn. Love suffered a stroke on Thanksgiving of 2009, followed by a heart attack on Christmas. He died in hospice care on February 28, 2010, after having been ill for some years with

arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...

and

dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...

. He was survived by his wife Joyce Love; son Greyling Love; daughters Cheryl Love, Joann Johnson, Gail Love and Mia Love; sister Mildred Chavers; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Discography

Albums

* 1980: ''Come On Home Blues: From The Carousel Club St. Louis Missouri'' (Red Lightnin') * 1991: ''Rockin' Eighty-Eights'' (Modern Blues Recordings)

Singles

* 1951: "Shufflin' With Love" / "Susie" (Trumpet 138) – Clayton Love and his Shufflers *1952: "Chained to Your Love" / "Where I Want to Be" (Aladdin 3148) – Clayton Love with Ray Hill and his Orchestra *1954: "Wicked Little Baby" / "Why Don't You Believe In Me" (Modern 929) – Clayton Love * 1956: "Bye Bye Baby" / "Mary Lou" (Groove 0162) – Clayton Love Orchestra * 1957: "Do You Mean It" / "She Made My Blood Run Cold" (Federal 12297) – Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm * 1957: The Big Question" (Federal 12304) – Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm * 1957: "You've Changed My Love" (Federal 12307) – Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm * 1958: "Limited Love" / "Unlimited Love" (Bobbin 102) – Roosevelt Marks Orchestra With Clayton Love * 1959: "Bye Bye, Baby" / "Mistreated" (Bobbin 108) – Roosevelt Marks Orchestra With Clayton Love

References

External links

Clayton Love
on

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

1927 births 2010 deaths People from Coahoma County, Mississippi Musicians from Clarksdale, Mississippi American blues pianists American male pianists American rhythm and blues musicians Jump blues musicians St. Louis blues musicians United States Navy personnel of World War II 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians Kings of Rhythm members {{authority control Trumpet Records artists Bobbin Records artists Federal Records artists Groove Records artists Modern Records artists Aladdin Records artists Alcorn State University alumni