Artist: John Clayton

John Lee Clayton Jr. is an American jazz musician, classical double bassist, arranger, and composer. 

He is the father of pianist Gerald Clayton and the brother of saxophonist Jeff Clayton, with whom he formed The Clayton Brothers; and The Clayton–Hamilton Jazz Orchestra with Jeff Hamilton. 

Clayton began his bass career in elementary school playing in strings class, junior orchestra, high school jazz band, orchestra, and soul/R&B groups. In 1969, at the age of 16, he enrolled in Ray Brown’s jazz class at UCLA, beginning a close relationship that lasted more than three decades. Three years later, he was bassist on the Henry Mancini's television series The Mancini Generation. In 1975, he graduated from Indiana University School of Music with a degree in bass performance. 

He went on to tour with the Monty Alexander Trio and the Count Basie Orchestra, before taking the position of principal bass in the Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in Amsterdam, Netherlands.  After five years he returned to the U.S. for a break from the classical genre and, in 1985, co-founded the  Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra with his brother, saxophonist Jeff Clayton, and drummer Jeff Hamilton. He also performed in a duo as the Clayton Brothers with musicians such as Bill Cunliffe and Terell Stafford.