David Clayton-Thomas, lead singer of Blood, Sweat & Tears, dies aged 84 | Music

David Clayton-Thomas, lead singer of the 60s and 70s band Blood, Sweat & Tears has died aged 84.

According to his publicist, the Canadian singer died peacefully at a hospital in Toronto with no apparent cause of death.

Clayton-Thomas wrote the group’s best-known single Spinning Wheel which reached number 2 in the US and was nominated for three Grammy awards, winning one.

He was born in England before his family settled in Toronto after World War II. By the time he was 14, he was homeless and spent most of his youth in trouble with the law and serving several prison terms.

In the 1960s, he became successful as a musician and fronted a group called David Clayton-Thomas and The Fabulous Shays, before moving to New York.

He joined the soon-to-be-disbanded band Blood, Sweat & Tears who reformed and caught the attention of music executive Clive Davis who later described Clayton-Thomas as an “amazing” singer.

“Blood, Sweat & Tears was a strange mix of people,” said Clayton-Thomas interview. “We had guys in the band whose backgrounds were from Juilliard. We had some guys who were out of Berkeley – hard-core be-bop jazzers – and we had a group like me who were very trained rock and roll R&B Telecasters.”

His first album with the group was a hit, selling 10m copies worldwide, charting for 109 weeks in the US, and winning five Grammy awards. The soundtrack also included And When I Die and You’ve Make Me So Very Happy.

When Clayton-Thomas was asked if he knew the band would be as successful as it was, he said: “I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but yeah.” The first time I went in and played with the group, we were very surprised.

The group went on anti-government tours of several Eastern Bloc countries during the Cold War which became the subject of the 2023 What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears? It was revealed that the trip was arranged so Clayton-Thomas could get a green card to live and work in the US.

There were further successful albums including Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 and Blood, Sweat & Tears 4 before Clayton-Thomas left the band in 1972 after tiring of life on the road.

He said: “I continued to do this as long as I could do things mentally and physically.

He released several solo albums and formed a 10-piece band in Toronto in the early 2000s with whom he would tour for years to come. He also worked with troubled youth charities and published a memoir in 2010.

A memorial concert is expected to take place soon.