Kid Clayton

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KID CLAYTON Known best for his heavily blues-influenced performance style, James “Kid” Clayton was a New Orleans blues, traditional jazz, and brass band trumpeter. Clayton relocated from Mississippi to New Orleans at an early age and went on to become a skilled player of New Orleans-style blues. He was considered to be one of the greatest trumpeters of his time, but his lifelong struggle with alcohol addiction made him a highly inconsistent performer. Despite these troubles, Clayton’s own group, Kid Clayton and His Happy Pals, enjoyed many successful years. Clayton was born in Jasper County, Mississippi, on March 2, 1902. In 1905, when “Jimmie” was just three years old, his family relocated to New Orleans. While little is known about his early life, it is clear that he received some formal musical training from the highly regarded musician and teacher “Professor” Jim Humphrey, patriarch of a famous family of jazz musicians that included his grandsons, brothers Percy and Willie Humphrey. From an early age, Clayton began playing with a number of rough neighborhood bands in New Orleans’s Uptown area, including a band with the Humphrey brothers in 1917. In the early 1920s, Clayton joined Jack Carey’s group, an ensemble often credited with originating the band version of “Tiger Rag.” During the remainder of the 1920s, Clayton toured with several bands, including a tour to Chicago with the vaudeville group (Bill and Mary) Mack’s Merrymakers in 1922. Upon returning to New Orleans, J

top songs

albums

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The First Kid Clayton Session: 1952

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Classic Sounds of New Orleans from Smithsonian Folkways

Classic Sounds Of New Orleans

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Music of New Orleans, Vol. 3: Music of the Dance Halls

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Into the Night

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nek salanet (1999)

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Smithsonian Folkways - Classic Sounds Of New Orleans

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Classic Sounds Of New Orleans from Folkways

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Music of New Orleans, Vol. 3. Music of the Dance Halls

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Smithsonian Folkways: Sounds of New Orleans

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Kid Clayton's Happy Pals

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2010 - Classic Sounds Of New Orleans from Smithsonian Folkways

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