John Clayton (b. 1952) is a Grammy-winning bassist, composer, arranger, and producer. He has written and/or recorded with artists such as Milt Jackson, Diana Krall, Paul McCartney, Regina Carter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gladys Knight, Queen Latifah, McCoy Tyner, Yo-Yo Ma, and Charles Aznavour, to name ...
John Clayton (b. 1952) is a Grammy-winning bassist, composer, arranger, and producer. He has written and/or recorded with artists such as Milt Jackson, Diana Krall, Paul McCartney, Regina Carter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gladys Knight, Queen Latifah, McCoy Tyner, Yo-Yo Ma, and Charles Aznavour, to name a few. Clayton was principal bassist in the Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra between 1980 and 1984. In 1986, he co-founded the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and rekindled the Clayton Brothers Quintet. In addition to his individual clinics and workshops, Clayton directs the educational components of Centrum’s Jazz Port Townsend and the Vail Jazz Workshop. His arrangement of “The Star-Spangled Banner” was sung by Whitney Houston in her 1990 performance at the Super Bowl; the recording went platinum. Clayton feels, “I’ve been guided by a village of musicians who helped me understand the humility that goes along with playing music at the highest level you can. Ray Brown used to tell me to ‘learn how to play the bass!!’ Just take care of the music and it will take care of you.”
