Biography
Although the name Shirley Clay and its association with the Boswell Sisters might imply a female musician, the swing-era jazz trumpeter was in reality a Midwestern man rather than an undiscovered addition to the small number of women brass players active at the time. He began his professional work with ensembles in the St. Louis region near 1920 while still in his teens. Though his profile never placed him among the most celebrated swing trumpeters, he accumulated substantial recording credits and contributed to several recognized jazz landmarks, even if his restrained and self-effacing approach meant he seldom seized the spotlight. His initial road engagement came with the Synco Jazzers under the direction of St. Louis-based John Williams, a two-year stint that ended when he moved to Chicago. In 1927 he spent a brief interval with Louis Armstrong—“for a minute,” as the jazz saying goes—an experience any trumpeter would have remembered regardless of its brevity. More steady affiliations followed with Carroll Dickerson and with a large ensemble under clarinetist Clifford King. Between the late 1920s and early 1930s he established himself as a studio freelancer, appearing on dates with Earl Hines that included a 1929 Victor session, on classic blues material by Ma Rainey, and alongside the Boswell Sisters. He was also among the accomplished brass players who supported Billie Holiday on her landmark mid-1930s recordings. An ongoing connection with Don Redman continued through 1936, yet left room for several projects with Benny Goodman, who reportedly attempted to rattle the dependable Clay by loosening the bulb above his music stand so that vibrations from the bass drum would extinguish it. He also performed with the more easygoing Ben Pollack and closed the decade in the company of veteran swing leader Claude Hopkins. Early in the 1940s he rejoined Hines, then worked in outfits directed by Horace Anderson, Leon Abbey, and a notably successful group fronted by trumpeter Cootie Williams. Mid-decade found him recording and touring with Cab Calloway. From 1944 until his death he led his own bands while continuing sideman duties with Hopkins, with a group under Manzie Johnson, and in the quartet of Harry Dial, who later recalled him in the 1984 autobiography All That Jazz About Jazz; he also appeared on selected sessions by the Mills Brothers.