Sam Clayton (born September 16, 1946) is an American singer and percussionist, primarily focusing on drums,

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest ...

and

djembe A djembe or jembe ( ; from Maninka language, Malinke ''jembe'' , N'Ko script, N'Ko: ) is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa. According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe ...

, throughout his musical career. He is best known as a supporting vocalist and percussionist with the American rock band

Little Feat Little Feat is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George, bassist Roy Estrada (both formerly of the Mothers of Invention), keyboardist Bill Payne, and drummer Richie Hayward in ...

since 1972.

History

As a young man, he was influenced by R&B music, and

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...

. He is the brother of singer

Merry Clayton Merry Clayton (born December 25, 1948) is an American soul and gospel singer. She contributed vocals to numerous tracks and worked with many major recording artists for decades, including a duet with Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones song " Gimm ...

and the brother-in-law of jazz flautist and saxophonist Curtis Amy. After seeing Lester Horton and the modern dancers, "Zapata", he was enthralled by the conga player. However, it wasn't until a chance opportunity to sit in with a house band for a song on the congas at a farewell dinner, just as he was laid off from his employment in electro-mechanical engineering drafting, that Clayton was offered the chance to join a band and play. Clayton played for a short time with

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the "Ar ...

, and says he was inspired by "what Mongo Santamaría was doing with

Cal Tjader Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr. ( ; July 16, 1925 – May 5, 1982) was an American Latin Jazz musician, often described as the most successful non-Latino Latin music (genre), Latin musician. He explored other jazz idioms, especially small group mod ...

Little Feat

Clayton was introduced to

, an eclectic band drenched in Southern rhythms, funk, jazz, and rock and roll, by his friend

Kenny Gradney Kenny Gradney (born February 25, 1950, in Baton Rouge) is an American bassist and songwriter, best known as a member of the band Little Feat. Biography He joined after their second album, replacing founding bassist Roy Estrada in 1972. Gradney ...

with whom he had played behind

Delaney & Bonnie Delaney & Bonnie was an American duo of singer-songwriters Delaney Bramlett and Bonnie Bramlett. In 1969 and 1970, they fronted a rock/soul ensemble, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, whose members at different times included Duane Allman, Gregg ...

, and who was to replace original bassist

Roy Estrada Roy Estrada (also known as "Roy Ralph Moleman Guacamole Guadalupe Hidalgo Estrada" and "Orejón"; born April 17, 1943) is an American former musician. He is best known for being the original bassist of both the Mothers of Invention and Little Fea ...

. Gradney recommended Clayton to the band as he knew both men needed work following Delaney & Bonnie's split up following their divorce and guitarist

Paul Barrere Paul Barrere (July 3, 1948 – October 26, 2019) was an American musician most prominent as a member of the band Little Feat, which he joined in 1972 some three years after the band was created by Lowell George. Career Barrere recorded and perf ...

also joined the line-up, thus expanding the band to a sextet. Sam made his debut with Little Feat on their third album '' Dixie Chicken'' in 1973. He also played congas on

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1971, Raitt released her Bonnie Raitt (album), self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed Americana (mu ...

's 1977 song, "Sweet Forgiveness", on her album of the same name. As time went on, his vocal talents as well as his percussion came to the fore, which gave the band a funkier sound. Although he rarely sang lead vocals, his scat-influenced bass vocals were strongly in evidence on tracks like "Rock 'n' Roll Doctor" from '' Feats Don't Fail Me Now''. His first lead vocal with the group was "Feel The Groove" from '' Down on the Farm'' in 1979 but the band broke up shortly afterwards and the subsequent death of founder Lowell George meant they did not reform until 1987. Sam Clayton

When Little Feat re-grouped Sam's voice became even more evident on songs like "The Ingenue" (from '' Representing the Mambo'') and "Romance Without Finance" and "That's A Pretty Good Love" (from '' Ain't Had Enough Fun''). He also sang the Lowell George classic "Spanish Moon" at Little Feat's live shows for many years. Little Feat released their latest album, ''Sam's Place'', in 2024. It is their first album to feature Clayton on lead vocals on every song. All songs are covers of blues standards except the opening track "Milkman," credited to Clayton and the group's guitarists

Fred Tackett Fredrick O. Tackett (born August 30, 1945) is an American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Originally a session player on guitar, mandolin, and trumpet, he is best known as a member of the band Little Feat. In addition to his work with Li ...

and Scott Sharrard.

Session work

Like other members of Little Feat, Clayton is also a respected

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

and has played with

Duane Allman Howard Duane Allman (November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971) was an American rock and blues guitarist and the founder and original leader of the Allman Brothers Band, for which he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fam ...

Jimmy Barnes James Dixon Barnes ( Swan; born 28 April 1956) is an Australian rock singer. His career, both as a solo performer and as the lead vocalist with the rock band Cold Chisel, has made him one of the most popular and best-selling Australian music a ...

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...

, Valerie Carter,

Freddie King Freddie King (born Fred Christian; September 3, 1934December 28, 1976), also billed as Freddy King, was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King a ...

, Robert Palmer,

Bob Seger Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is a retired American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded with the groups Bob Seger and the Last Heard and the Bob Seger System throu ...

and

Travis Tritt James Travis Tritt (born February 9, 1963) is an American country music, country singer-songwriter. He signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1989, releasing seven studio albums and a greatest hits package for the label between then and 1999. In t ...

among others. Sam was a member of Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band for the tours from 1982 to 1988.

Discography

References

External links

Complete discography
at the official Little Feat website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Clayton, Sam American rock singers American rock percussionists Living people Little Feat members African-American drummers American jazz percussionists American basses American session musicians Conga players Djembe players American rock drummers American male singers American tambourine players Bongo players Maracas players Coral Reefer Band members American male jazz musicians 1952 births American male drummers