Sonny Clay Takes Jazz Down Under

Sonny Clay

Source: Swing FM

Born on 15 May 1899 in Chapel Hill, Texas, drummer, pianist and bandleader, William "Sonny" Clay got moved to Phoenix at age eight. He played drums and xylophone before taking up piano at about age 16. Five years later he joined Charlie Green and Jelly Roll Morton in Mexico. In 1921 he joined the band of Red Spikes in California.

Tom Lord has Clay first recording in 1922 with Camille Allen in Los Angeles per 'Ain't But the One' and 'Mama Likes to Do It'. Those saw issue in 1985 on the compilation, 'Sonny Clay 1922-1960' (Harlequin HQ 2007). In 1923 Clay formed the Eccentric Harmony Six with which he laid tracks as the California Poppies: 'What a Wonderful Time', 'Lou' and 'Mama Likes to Do It'. Scott Alexander (Red Hot Jazz) has the former issued that year on Sunset D-506 and Sunset S-507. 'Mama Likes to Do It' is thought unreleased. Personnel in Clay's California Poppies below is per Tom Lord. It differs from Alexander in that Scott has Ernest Coycault and William Blakeney on trumpet with both Leon White and Bob Farrell out. All personnel rosters herein are per Tom Lord who's sessionography largely agrees with Brian Rust. Differences between Lord and Alexander cease to be noted as of Clay's orchestras.

Sometime between 1923 and 1925 Clay recorded the piano solos, 'Gang o' Blues' and 'Punishing the Piano'. He laid more tracks with his band, now the Stompin' Six, about May of 1925 before his first issues that year as the leader of his Plantation Orchestra recording 'Jambled Blues' and 'Bogloosa Blues' in Los Angeles for Vocalion.

Composition: Presumably Clay

Composition: Presumably Clay

Personnel on 'Jimtown Blues' below is per Tom Lord which agrees with Brian Rust's 'Jazz and Ragtime Records (1897-1942)' [Mainspring Press 2002]. Alexander differs in assigning Davidson to clarinet and alto saxophone. Remaining titles further below with Clay's orchestras are Tom Lord per sessions rather than Alexander (listing orchestra members broadly but not per session).

Soon after Clay's hot session above in December of 1927 he took his musical revue, 'Sonny Clay's Colored Idea', to Australia, landing in Sydney on 31 January 1928 with his orchestra now called the Coloured Plantation Band. This was the first tour to Australia by a black jazz operation. Though initially highly successful, rumors of drug use and miscegenation resulted in a police raid on 25 March 1928 that got Clay and his entourage swiftly deported on 31 March 1928, after which the Australian government banned black jazz musicians from entering the country until Louis Armstrong in 1954.

Upon Clay's return to the States he assumed residency at the Vernon Country Club in Los Angeles. One of various configurations that he led was his Dixie Serenaders with which he recorded 'Cho-King' and 'St. Louis Blues' circa August of 1931 (14 November 1931 in Abram's ODP). Though gone down for Brunswick those titles were purchased by Gennett and issued on Champion 16365. They also saw release as Ladd's Black Aces on Superior 2771 and as the Hartford Ballroom Orchestra on Clay's own record label per Sonny Clay 6.

During World War II Clay served in Special Services (Armed Forces entertainment branch). He continued working as a musician after the War but would also tune pianos and find employment with the U.S. Postal Service. After a gap of nearly thirty years Lord's sessionography traces Clay to as late as a couple strings of piano solos recorded at his home in Los Angeles by John Bentley on 1 May and 3 December 1960. Titles like 'I wish I could shimmy like my Sister Kate' and 'Tack head blues' eventually saw issue in 1985 on the compilation, 'Sonny Clay 1922-1960' (Harlequin HQ 2007).

Clay died on 10 April 1973 in Los Angeles.