David Clayton-Thomas, lead singer of Blood, Sweat & Tears, dies
Boston.com • • entertainment
Key Points:
- David Clayton-Thomas, lead singer of Blood, Sweat & Tears, died peacefully at age 84 in Toronto, with no specific cause disclosed.
- Clayton-Thomas was known for his distinctive tenor voice on hits like “Spinning Wheel” and “And When I Die,” helping the band win two Grammys and achieve major success in the late 1960s.
- Blood, Sweat & Tears was influential in popularizing horn-led rock music and performed at iconic events like Woodstock in 1969, but the band's popularity declined after 1970, leading Clayton-Thomas to leave in 1972.
- Born in England and raised in Canada, Clayton-Thomas overcame a troubled youth and criminal past, teaching himself guitar in a reformatory before rising to fame in the music industry.
- He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1996 and is survived by his two daughters, Ashleigh Clayton-Thomas and Christine Graham.
