Wilbur Dorsey "Buck" Clayton (November 12, 1911 – December 8, 1991) was an American jazz musician who played the trumpet and was part of Count Basie's orchestra. His main influence was Louis Armstrong, and he first heard the record "Confessin' that I Love You" when he walked by a shop window.

Early years

Clayton learned to play the piano when he was six years old. His father was an amateur musician who played in the family's local church and taught him trumpet scales, though Clayton did not start playing the trumpet until his teenage years. At 17, Clayton was taught the trumpet by Bob Russell, who was part of George E. Lee's band. In his early twenties, Clayton lived in California and briefly joined Duke Ellington's Orchestra. He also worked with other musical leaders during this time. At that point, Clayton was taught by trumpeter Mutt Carey, who later became a well-known musician on the West Coast in the 1940s. Clayton also met Louis Armstrong, who was performing at Sebastian's Cotton Club, and Armstrong taught him how to play glissando on the trumpet. After high school, Clayton moved to Los Angeles. Later, he formed a band called the 14 Gentlemen from Harlem, where he led a 14-member orchestra.

There are different stories about how Clayton arrived in Shanghai, China. Some say he was chosen by Teddy Weatherford for a job at the Canidrome ballroom in Shanghai's French Concession. Others say he temporarily left the United States to avoid racism.

In 1934 or 1935, Clayton became the leader of the "Harlem Gentlemen" in Shanghai. He performed with influential people such as Chiang Kai-shek's wife, Soong Mei-ling, and her sister, Ai-ling, who often attended the Canidrome. Clayton played songs written by Li Jinhui and blended the Chinese music scale with the American scale. Li Jinhui learned a lot from the American jazz style introduced by Clayton. A 1935 guidebook in Shanghai listed Clayton and Teddy Weatherford as the main jazz performers at the Canidrome. Clayton left Shanghai before the 1937 Second Sino-Japanese War. He is credited with helping to bridge the gap between traditional Chinese music and shidaiqu (also known as mandopop). Li Jinhui is mainly remembered in China as someone affected by the Cultural Revolution.

U.S. career

Later that year, Clayton accepted a job offer from bandleader Willie Bryant in New York. While traveling east, he stopped in Kansas City, Missouri, and decided to stay after being encouraged by Count Basie, whose orchestra performed regularly at the Reno Club. Clayton took over the role previously held by Hot Lips Page. In 1937, the Count Basie orchestra moved to New York City, allowing Clayton to work on music recordings with artists like Billie Holiday and Lester Young. Clayton left the Basie orchestra in November 1943 when he was called to military service.

Post-war

After leaving the military honorably in 1946, Clayton helped plan performances for Count Basie, Benny Goodman, and Harry James. He also joined Norman Granz’s Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP) tour. In April, he performed in a concert with Young, Coleman Hawkins, and Charlie Parker. In October, he took part in JATP’s first national tour of the United States. At this time, Clayton also recorded music for the H.R.S. label. In 1947, he returned to New York and had a long-term performance job at the Café Society. The next year, he met again with Jimmy Rushing, a fellow musician from the Basie band, at the Savoy Ballroom. Clayton and Rushing continued to work together until the 1960s.

From September 1949, Clayton was in Europe for nine months, leading his own band in France. Over the next few years, he recorded music sometimes for the French Vogue label. These recordings were made under his own name, the name of clarinetist Mezz Mezzrow, and for one session, with pianist Earl Hines. In 1953, Clayton returned to Europe to tour with Mezzrow. In Italy, Frank Sinatra joined the group during this tour.

Mainstreamer

In the 1950s, the English critic Stanley Dance first used the term "mainstream" to describe the style of musicians from the swing era who did not fully support either revivalist or modernist approaches. Clayton was one of the musicians most closely associated with this term. In December 1953, he began recording a series of jam session albums for Columbia Records. This idea was proposed by John Hammond, with George Avakian serving as the main producer. These recording sessions continued until 1956. Some tracks on these albums were as long as one side of an LP, a format that inspired Hammond’s idea. However, this sometimes caused issues. For example, the title track of the Jumpin’ at the Woodside album combined two recordings made four months apart, each with a completely different rhythm section. From this series came Clayton’s Jazz Spectacular album, featuring Kai Winding, J. J. Johnson, and vocals by Frankie Laine. Clayton also recorded for Vanguard Records, with Hammond as producer, both under his own name and on projects led by Ruby Braff, Mel Powell, and Sir Charles Thompson.

In 1955, Clayton appeared in the film The Benny Goodman Story and later performed with Goodman at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 1957. In 1958, he participated in concerts at the World Fair in Brussels with Sidney Bechet and toured Europe the following year and annually throughout the 1960s. For the Swingville label (a subsidiary of Prestige Records), Clayton co-led two albums with Buddy Tate, a former colleague of Count Basie, and supported Pee Wee Russell on his solo album for the label.

In 1964, Clayton performed in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand with Eddie Condon, a musician he had occasionally worked with for several years. In 1965, he toured the UK with trombonist Vic Dickenson and blues singer Big Joe Turner, accompanied by British trumpeter Humphrey Lyttelton and his band. This group appeared on Jazz 625, a BBC television program later released on DVD. Clayton visited the UK frequently afterward and recorded three albums with Lyttelton. To avoid issues with the UK musicians’ union, it was claimed that these albums were recorded in Switzerland. A live recording from a club performance with Lyttelton was later released on Lyttelton’s own Calligraph Records label (CLG CD 048).

Last years

After performing at the New Orleans Jazz Festival in 1969, Clayton had lip surgery and stopped playing the trumpet in 1972. He began playing again in 1977 for a tour of Africa sponsored by the State Department. However, he permanently stopped playing the trumpet in 1979, though he continued working as a music arranger. From 1975 to 1980, and again in the early 1980s, he taught at Hunter College, CUNY.

In 1986, the semi-autobiography Buck Clayton’s Jazz World, written with Nancy Miller Elliott, was published. That same year, Clayton’s new Big Band performed for the first time at the Brooklyn Museum in New York. He toured internationally with the band and contributed 100 compositions to the band’s music collection.

Buck Clayton passed away in his sleep in December 1991, one month after his 80th birthday, at the home of a friend in Manhattan.

Discography

In 1946, The Classic Swing of Buck Clayton was released by Riverside in 1960.
From 1945 to 1947, The Chronological was released by Classics 968 (date unknown).
From 1946 to 1949, Back to Buck New York-Paris was released by Ocium (date unknown).
From 1949 to 1953, The Chronological was released by Classics 1362 (date unknown).
In 1953, The Chronological was released by Classics 1394 in 2005.
In 1953, The Chronological was released by Classics 1449 in 2006.
In 1953, The Huckle-Buck and Robbins' Nest was released by Columbia in 1954.
From 1953 to 1954, How Hi the Fi was released by Columbia in 1954.
In 1954, Buck Meets Ruby was released by Vanguard in 1954. It was reissued as Just a Groove by Vanguard in 1973.
From 1953 to 1954, Buck Clayton Jams Benny Goodman was released by Columbia in 1955.
From 1954 to 1955, Jumpin' at the Woodside was released by Columbia in 1955.
In 1955, a recording titled Jazz Spectacular featuring Frankie Laine was released by Columbia in 1956.
From 1953 to 1956, All the Cats Join In was released by Columbia in 1956.
From 1953 to 1956, Jam Sessions from the Vault was released by Columbia in 1988. This collection includes recordings from CBS sessions.
From 1953 to 1956, The Complete CBS Buck Clayton Jam Sessions was released by Mosaic in 1993.
In 1957, Buck 'n' The Blues was released by Vanguard in 1954. It was reissued as Just a Groove by Vanguard in 1973.
In 1957, Very Special Buck Clayton was released by Philips in 1958.
In 1958, Songs for Swingers was released by Columbia in 1959.
In 1959, Buck Clayton Plays was released by Society in 1966.
In 1959, Copenhagen Concert was released by SteepleChase in 1979.
In 1959, Swingin' And Dancin' was released by Disques Pop in 1960. It was reissued as Tenderly by Inner City in 1979.
In 1960, Buck & Buddy was released by Swingville in 1961.
In 1961, One for Buck was released by Columbia in 1961.
In 1961, All Stars Performance was released by Vogue in 1962. It was reissued as Olympia Concert by Vogue in 1978–87.
In 1961, Passport to Paradise was released by Vogue/POP. It was reissued with the same title by Inner City in 1979.
In 1961, A la Buck was released by Vogue/POP in 1981.
In 1961, B C All Stars_Swiss Radio Days Jazz Series: Basel 1961, Vol.7 was released in 1997.
In 1961, Buck & Buddy Blow the Blues was released by Swingville in 1961.
In 1966, Buck Clayton Meets Joe Turner was released by Black Lion in 1992.
In 1967, Jazz from a Swinging Era [2CD] was released by B C & Earl Hines All-Stars (date unknown).
In 1963, Buck Clayton's Canadian Caper was released by Discus in 1963.
In 1974, A Buck Clayton Jam Session was released by Chiaroscuro in 1974.
In 1975, Jam Session was released by Chiaroscuro in 1976.
In 1976, Jam Session vol. 3 was released by Chiaroscuro in 1977.
In 1988, A Swingin' Dream was released by Stash in 1989.
In 1990, Swing The Village was released by Nagel Hayer in 2002.

Harry Edison Swings Buck Clayton was released by Verve in 1958.
The Original American Decca Recordings was released by GRP in 1992.
The High and Mighty Hawk was released by Felsted in 1958.
Jazz Spectacular was released by Columbia in 1956.
Mel Powell Septet was released by Vanguard in 1953.

With Paul Quinichette:
Basie Reunion was released by Prestige in 1958.
In a Mellow Tone was released by West 54.
Swinging Like Tate was released by Felsted in 1958.
Bones for the King was released by Felsted in 1958.