Lee Clayton
Best-known for penning the outlaw country anthem "Ladies Love Outlaws," singer/songwriter Lee Clayton never achieved the same level of notoriety as some of the artists who recorded his songs, yet he crafted some expressive, highly personal music in his own right. Clayton grew up in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and took up the steel guitar at age nine; after just a year and a half, he was good enough to perform on local radio. After a stint in the Air Force, Clayton moved to Nashville in 1969 to make it in the music business, and he scored his first big success when Waylon Jennings turned "Ladies Love Outlaws" into a hit anthem in 1972. Clayton recorded his own self-titled debut album for MCA the following year, but despite critical praise, it wasn't commercially successful. Clayton left Nashville for Joshua Springs, California, but continued to pen songs for other artists; among his most notable contributions were Jerry Jeff Walker's "Lone Wolf" and Willie Nelson's "If You Could Touch Her at All." His success as a songwriter encouraged him to return to Nashville, and he signed a solo deal with Capitol in 1977. Two acclaimed albums -- 1978's Border Affair and 1979's Naked Child -- followed, and Clayton embarked on his first world tour. However, immediately following the release of 1981's The Dream Goes On, he abruptly quit the music business, instead devoting his energies to writing/ The '80s produced two autobiographical books and a play, Little Boy Blue. Clayton did eventually return to recording with 1990's Another Night, a live album recorded in Oslo, Norway; the same year, the Highwaymen recorded his "Silver Stallion." The Clayton studio LP Spirit of the Twilight followed in 1994. A handful of compilations and archival live releases, including his 1980 appearance on Live at Rockpalast, were released in the years before Lee Clayton's death on June 12, 2023, at the age of 80.
© Steve Huey /TiVo
Discography
23 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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The Essential Lee Clayton 1978-1981
Rock - Released by CAPITOL CATALOG MKT (C92) on 15/02/2001
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Border Affair
Rock - Released by CAPITOL CATALOG MKT (C92) on 1/01/1978
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
The Dream Goes On
Rock - Released by CAPITOL CATALOG MKT (C92) on 1/01/1981
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Don't Worry 'Bout Nut'in'
Country - Released by Ooh Baby Ooh Records on 1/01/2002
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Clayton Lee
Country - Released by Ooh Baby Ooh Records on 1/01/2000
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Lights of This Town
Country - Released by Clayton Lee on 29/07/2022
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Tequila Is Addictive (Live)
Rock - Released by Lee Clayton on 4/07/2016
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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It's Time for the Outlaws to Ride Again
Country - Released by Lee Clayton on 13/12/2015
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Purest Heart of All
Rock - Released by Lee Clayton on 10/10/2010
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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We the People
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by Lee Clayton on 13/02/2011
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Big Little Miracle
Country - Released by Clayton Lee on 25/07/2025
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Barrel Racing Horse
Country - Released by Clayton Lee on 3/06/2022
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo