In the late sixties, David Clayton-Thomas seemed to be on top of the world. The debut album of his band, Blood Sweat & Tears, had won five Grammys and was on its way to selling ten million copies. But success had come at a steep price.The son of a tyrannical father, David left home at fifteen and became a street kid. He was still a teenager when he began serving time in prison, but fate intervened in the form of a battered guitar left behind by another inmate. David had found his calling. His move from Toronto to New York, where he joined the group that would forever change his life, would mark the turning point in an incredible journey filled with extreme highs and lows.Blood, Sweat and Tears is David’s story: a true rock saga as heartfelt as his songs. A story of grit, courage and determination-and above all, survival. Quill & Quire As the former frontman for the Canadian rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears, David Clayton-Thomas is no stranger to the spotlight. He has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and been given a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame. As if that weren’t enough, Clayton-Thomas can now add memoirist to his list of accomplishments.Clayton-Thomas opens his book with an introduction that prepares readers for a raw and honest account of his life. What follows is a highly personal and passionate description of child abuse, prison, poverty, artistic longing, and the price of success. His rise from the depths of Canada’s prison system to centre stage is an incredible story, one he relates in a voice that is sensitive and, at times, quite funny. Readers will also be drawn into the turbulent 1960s milieu, with its tales of drug binges in artists’ enclaves and shared moments with musical legends.While the memoir succeeds on that level, however, it fails entirely on another. Throughout the book, Clayton-Thomas takes the opportunity to settle decades-old scores with family, former business partners, and current members of BS&T. While readers should never expect a memoir to be wholly objective, many of the vitriol-laced rants in this book distract from the story and leave a bitter aftertaste. The book is also laden with contradictions, as Clayton-Thomas embraces his own life choices, then vilifies others for making similar choices.For fans of BS&T or Clayton-Thomas’s solo work, this memoir delivers the rawness and honesty that it promises. It sheds light on the darker side of the author’s life and the inspiration behind some of his music, but for casual readers, the enjoyment of the story is mitigated by the narrative’s anger and contradictions. The story of a nuanced character battling internal conflicts can make for fascinating reading, but watching Clayton-Thomas wrestle with his demons on the page is a lot less enjoyable than listening to him sing them out. Review “A remarkable story of redemption…. Clayton-Thomas writes with wry humour and grace in a straightforward style that’s as subtle as a split lip. The reader always feels he’s getting the straight goods…. The book deserves to be as big a hit as ‘Spinning Wheel,’ the best song Clayton-Thomas wrote for the jazz-rock outfit Blood Sweat & Tears…. His book is honest and unflinching. It reveals a man who is tough and cynical, funny as hell, but also vulnerable and insecure. Haunted by his violent childhood, Clayton-Thomas turned himself into a music legend-a singer and songwriter above all things. That’s worth much more than a standing ovation.” - Ottawa Citizen“David Clayton-Thomas has some skeletons in his closet, but he’s setting them all free and it feels mighty good…. A genuinely inspirational rags-to-riches story.” - Toronto Star“Clayton-Thomas[’s] memoir shows brilliance…. What’s critical for an autobiography is, first of all, a good story and Clayton-Thomas has one, for sure.” - Winnipeg Free Press“The David Clayton-Thomas book is an amazing roller coaster ride though the dreams and nightmares of a Canadia

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