Claytoven Richardson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Claytoven Richardson
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| Birth name | Clayton D. Richardson |
| Born | May 23, 1956 |
| Origin | Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, pop, jazz |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Labels | Prestige (1979–1980) MCA (1980–1982) Fantasy (1983–1984) Qwest (1985) |
| Associated acts | Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Michael Bolton, Celine Dion, Narada Michael Walden, Michelle Gayle |
Claytoven Richardson (born May 23, 1956) is an American singer, musician, producer, songwriter, and author. He has had a long and successful career in music, earning many gold and platinum awards for his work. He is known for singing background vocals for many famous artists and for teaching aspiring singers.
Early Life and His Unique Name
Clayton D. Richardson was born on May 23, 1956, in Berkeley, California. When he was a child, his friend Larry Batiste accidentally combined Clayton's name with the famous composer Beethoven. That's how he got his cool and unique name, "Claytoven"!
Claytoven's Amazing Music Career
Claytoven started his music journey in 1979 as part of a group called Bill Summers and Summers Heat. They released several albums and had some popular songs like "Call It What You Want" and "Jam The Box."
After his time with Summers Heat, Claytoven became a "session musician." This means he worked in recording studios, often singing background vocals for other artists. His first big job was singing background vocals for George Benson's hit song "Kisses in the Moonlight." He also sang on the popular album "Duotones" for saxophonist Kenny G.
Claytoven has performed on many gold and platinum-selling recordings. He has worked with a long list of famous musicians. Some of these include Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Elton John, Celine Dion, and Aretha Franklin.
Teaching and Helping Others
In 2000, Claytoven decided to help other singers. He noticed that many talented singers needed more training to become professional recording artists. So, he started the "Studio Training Workshop for Vocalists." This workshop helps singers learn what it takes to work in a professional music studio.
He teaches these workshops at places like San Francisco State University. He also works for the City of Oakland, helping to run a teen center called the Digital Arts and Culinary Academy (DACA). He works there with fellow musician Andrea President.
To help even more, Claytoven wrote a book called The Professional Studio Vocalist. This book shares his knowledge and experience with aspiring singers. Even with all his teaching and writing, he still works as a session musician.
