The next year, he appeared on recordings with Lawrence Marable. Before returning to Dallas in 1958, Clay worked with freer musicians such as Don Cherry, Billy Higgins, and Ornette Coleman. In 1959, he enlisted in the military, and the following year, he released two albums as a leader. He led a quartet in California with Roosevelt Wardell, Jimmy Bond, and Frank Butler, but returned to Texas soon after. In the early 1960s, he toured with Lowell Fulson, and from 1962 to 1977, he toured with Ray Charles on and off. 1st Clay’s reappearance in 1988 on a recording led by Cherry, Art Deco, sparked a brief revival of interest in his career. He died in Dallas on January 6, 1995.
James Clay
•
•
3 min read
