Biography

Clark Gayton is an American multi-instrumentalist, musician, composer and musicians' rights advocate. Born as Carver Clark Gayton Jr. to Carver Clark Gayton and Mona Marie Lombard, Clark Gayton is a professional musician (trombone, euphonium, tuba, sousaphone, cornet, keyboards, piano), composer and producer.

Clark studied music with Floyd Standifer, JoAnn Christen, Curry Morrison, Julian Priester, Joe Brazil and Buddy Catlet while attending Garfield High School. After graduating from high school in 1981, Clark received a scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music, where he studied with Phil Wilson, Tom Plsek and Tony Lada. He graduated in 1984 and moved to Oakland before moving to New York in 1987 where he lives to this day.

Since living in New York, Clark has worked and recorded with some of the finest jazz musicians in the world, such as Charles Tolliver, Lionel Hampton, Wynton Marsalis and JALC, McCoy Tyner, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Mingus Big Band, Ted Nash and Odeon, Ben Allison & Medicine Wheel, Michael Blake, Brian Mitchell, Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra and Steven Bernstein/Henry Butler and the Hot 9, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, the Count Basie Orchestra, Clark Terry, Nancy Wilson, and Ray Charles.

In the early 2000s he joined the Levon Helm Band and performed at Helm's Midnight Ramblers concerts.

For several decades Gayton has toured and recorded toured with Bruce Springsteen, joining in 1997 as part of the We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions band. He rejoined Springsteen several years later as a regular member of his touring band, playing both trombone and sousaphone.

Clark has recorded or performed with Prince, Rihanna, Brazilian Girls, Steel Pulse, Wyclef Jean, Queen Latifah, Quincy Jones, Sting, Sturgill Simpson, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars, Bette Midler, Nora Jones, Usher, Steve Van Zandt, Beyoncé, Santana, Maxwell, The Skatalites, and Bad Brains, to name a few.

Gayton is a staple on the New York City music scene often creating a regular series at local bars and clubs including the Parkside Lounge, 55Bar, Bar Lunatico and Nublu. While he has led several bands, most notable is the Jamaican music inspired project Explorations in Dub,.

Gayton has appeared in the movies Malcolm X, Sweet and Lowdown, and Kansas City.

Gayton's most recent TV work was playing in the burlesque band on the series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel seasons 4 and 5.

It was reported in March 2023 that Gayton had recently suffered a very serious stroke. A GoFundMe page was set up to help raise money for his rehabilitation.