David Clayton-Thomas, powerhouse singer and primary lyricist for Blood, Sweat & Tears, died on Wednesday in Toronto. He was in the hospital but no cause of death was given.
Born in England in 1941 to a decorated Canadian WWII soldier who met his mother when she came to entertain the troops in the hospital where he was recuperating. After the war, they moved to Toronto. David had a troubled early life, a runaway who lived on the streets and learned to play guitar in prison. When he was released in the early ’60s he made a go of it in the burgeoning rock / R&B scene. After playing with John Lee Hooker in Toronto, he went with the blues legend to New York City and ended up staying.
Clayton-Thomas joined Blood, Sweat & Tears thanks to Judy Collins who heard him sing and recommended him to her friend, drummy Bobby Colomby, who had broken up BS&T after their first album but was convinced to restart it was David as vocalist. Released in 1968, Blood, Sweat and Tears was a massive hit — as were singles “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy”, “Spinning Wheel”, and “And When I Die” — sold 10 million copies, stayed atop the Billboard charts for seven weeks and won Album of the Year at the Grammys.
Blood, Sweat & Tears would record two more very successful records with Clayton-Thomas before he left the band in 1972 to pursue a solo career. That never matched his success with the band in the US but he had a number of Canadian hits. He reunited with BS&T in the mid-’70s and remained in the band through their final album, 1980’s Nuclear Blues, and continued to tour with them through the early 2000s.
Rest easy, David.
The band’s controversial 1970 tour of countries behind the Iron Curtain was the subject of documentary What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears? that you can stream for free on YouTube, Tubi and other services.