Founding Fathers: Willie Clayton

Pawn Records was where Willie Clayton released many of his early hits. (Pawn, 1970)

Though he’s never achieved huge national recognition, Founding Father Willie Clayton‘s produced a consistent stream of hickory-smoked southern soul since he began recording in the late ’60s.

Born in Mississippi in 1955, Willie Clayton recorded his earliest cuts as a teenager for the Dallas-based Duplex imprint. Finding little success, he moved to Chicago and was enlisted to work with Willie Mitchell and the venerable Hi Records house band.

Under Mitchell’s guidance, Clayton made some of his best records under the company’s Pawn imprint, including the singles “I Must Be Losin’ You,” “It’s Time You Made Up Your Mind,” and “Baby You’re Ready.”

In the ’80s, Clayton moved to Compleat Records and found his greatest chart success with “Tell Me” (as produced by General Crook) and “What a Way to Put It”). Clayton remains a prolific recording artist, releasing three albums of classic-styled soul music in 2011 alone.

Here’s one from then and one from now.

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