Paul Clayton

Born March 3, 1933, in New Bedford, MA, Paul Clayton maintained a lifelong interest in the folk song tradition, particularly sea shanties and whaling songs, and was an avid collector of folk tunes. He first heard the old sea shanties from his grandfather, and by fiften years old he was singing them himself, along with other folk material he collected, on a series of radio shows. After earning a pair of degrees from the University of Virginia (where he studied with folklorist Arthur Kyle Davis, Jr.), he collected extensively in the Appalachians, and was instrumental in the firs...