Josh Clayton-Felt
Encyclopedia
Josh Clayton-Felt was an American singer-songwriter
. He grew up outside of Boston, Massachusetts, and attended high school at the Cambridge School of Weston. He later enrolled at Brown University
, but discontinued studies soon after to found the band School of Fish
.
He worked for acclaimed comedy director Robert B. Weide
in 1987 as an informal office assistant during the production of Swear To Tell the Truth. Clayton-Felt later returned to Los Angeles after leaving Brown in haste to pursue his to-be successful artistic endeavors, following Weide's original advice. School of Fish later went on to be a highly successful American band in the late 1980s through the mid- 1990's. Weide delivered the eulogy at Clayton-Felt's funeral, after his death from testicular cancer in early 2000.
After the breakup of School of Fish, Clayton-Felt released an album independently in 1994, and landed a deal with A&M Records
in 1996. His album, Inarticulate Nature Boy, was released in February 1996. It scored airplay on college radio, and led to tours with Tori Amos
and Del Amitri
. The record did not sell well and Clayton-Felt was dropped; he had been writing a follow-up record, to be titled Center of Six, which he continued to work on in 1998 and 1999 with session drummer Steve Scully.
In December 1999, while still writing for the album, Clayton-Felt was diagnosed with choriocarcinoma
, a particularly aggressive cancer, and died a month later at the age of 32. In 2002, Dreamworks Records
released a collection of songs from the unfinished Center of Six sessions; Talking Cloud Records also released an album under this name in 2003.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. He grew up outside of Boston, Massachusetts, and attended high school at the Cambridge School of Weston. He later enrolled at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, but discontinued studies soon after to found the band School of Fish
School of Fish
School of Fish was an alternative rock band which formed in 1989 and disbanded in 1994. The core members were Josh Clayton-Felt and Michael Ward who would play club dates in Los Angeles, California as a duo accompanied by programmed drums and bass. The band signed with Capitol Records in 1990, and...
.
He worked for acclaimed comedy director Robert B. Weide
Robert B. Weide
Robert B. Weide is an American screenwriter, producer, and director, perhaps best known for his Emmy-winning work on documentaries and Curb Your Enthusiasm.-Career:Weide's career began with an early passion for the Marx Brothers...
in 1987 as an informal office assistant during the production of Swear To Tell the Truth. Clayton-Felt later returned to Los Angeles after leaving Brown in haste to pursue his to-be successful artistic endeavors, following Weide's original advice. School of Fish later went on to be a highly successful American band in the late 1980s through the mid- 1990's. Weide delivered the eulogy at Clayton-Felt's funeral, after his death from testicular cancer in early 2000.
After the breakup of School of Fish, Clayton-Felt released an album independently in 1994, and landed a deal with A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
in 1996. His album, Inarticulate Nature Boy, was released in February 1996. It scored airplay on college radio, and led to tours with Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
and Del Amitri
Del Amitri
Del Amitri were a Scottish pop-rock guitar band, formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 1983. The band grew out of Justin Currie's Jordanhill College School band and came together after teenager Currie placed an advertisement in the window of a music store asking for people who could play to contact him...
. The record did not sell well and Clayton-Felt was dropped; he had been writing a follow-up record, to be titled Center of Six, which he continued to work on in 1998 and 1999 with session drummer Steve Scully.
In December 1999, while still writing for the album, Clayton-Felt was diagnosed with choriocarcinoma
Choriocarcinoma
Choriocarcinoma is a malignant, trophoblastic and aggressive cancer, usually of the placenta. It is characterized by early hematogenous spread to the lungs...
, a particularly aggressive cancer, and died a month later at the age of 32. In 2002, Dreamworks Records
DreamWorks Records
DreamWorks Records was an American record label. Founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks SKG, the label operated until 2005 when it was shut down...
released a collection of songs from the unfinished Center of Six sessions; Talking Cloud Records also released an album under this name in 2003.
Discography
- Beautiful Nowhere (Self-released, 1994)
- Inarticulate Nature Boy (A&M RecordsA&M RecordsA&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
, 1996) - ...Felt Like Making a Live Record (Self-released, 1999)
- Spirit Touches Ground (Dreamworks RecordsDreamWorks RecordsDreamWorks Records was an American record label. Founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks SKG, the label operated until 2005 when it was shut down...
, 2002) - Center of Six (Talking Cloud, 2003)
External links
- Josh Clayton-Felt's official website
- [ Josh Clayton-Felt] at Allmusic.com