Clayton Love

Clayton Love

Clayton D. Love Jr. (November 16, 1927 – February 28, 2010) was an American blues pianist, who led his own band, the Shufflers, in the early 1950s and later played in Ike Turner's band, the Kings of Rhythm. He was born in Mattson, Mississippi, and grew up in Clarksdale. He served in the US Navy in World War II, and then studied as a pre-med at Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College near Vicksburg. He began performing in Vicksburg clubs with his band, the Shufflers, before graduating in 1949. His cousin, bandleader Earl Reed, recommended him to the owner of Trumpet Records, Lillian McMurry, and he first recorded for the label in 1951. The next year he began recording for the Aladdin label, with Raymond Hill's band, and over the following years also recorded for the Modern and Groove labels.In the mid-1950s he moved to St. Louis and joined Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm, appearing on such tracks as "Do You Mean It," "She Made My Blood Run Cold," and "The Big Question." He also recorded under his own name for the local Bobbin record label, backed by a band led by bass player Roosevelt Marks. At the same time, he continued with a career in education, receiving a master's degree from Saint Louis University in 1972, and teaching and holding administrative positions at several schools in the St. Louis area. In 1991, he recorded an album, Rockin' Eighty-Eights, with fellow piano players Johnnie Johnson and Jimmy Vaughn.He died in 2010, after having been ill for some years with arthritis and dementia.

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