Turner Layton born 2 July 1894

Turner Layton (July 2, 1894 – February 6, 1978), born John Turner Layton, Jr., was an American songwriter, singer and pianist. He frequently worked with Henry Creamer.

Born in Washington, D.C., United States, he was the son of John Turner Layton, "a bass singer, music educator and hymn composer."  In 1915, he married his Emma and soon a daughter arrived.  Turner attended the Howard University Dental School, but this came to an abrupt end when his father died late in 1916.  He was unable to pay the fees and soon after, Turner moved to New York with his family.  In a way, this was the break that he had unconsciously been looking for as he was a talented singer and piano player.

Turner was also a brilliant composer and by 1917, he had teamed up with Harry Creamer who wrote the lyrics to Turners music.  Both men achieved success with Way Down Yonder in New Orleans and After You’ve Gone which sold over one million records when recorded by Sophie Tucker in 1918.  Turner contributed music and lyrics to many Broadway shows, including the Ziegfeld Follies of 1917, 1921 and 1922, Three Showers (1920), Some Party (1922) and Creamer's own Strut Miss Lizzie (1922). Turner also wrote songs for Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor and by 1921 was recording himself.

In 1922 he formed a partnership with Clarence “Tandy” Johnstone (1885-1953) and this was an immediate success.  Turner was a baritone whereas Clarence was a tenor and contemporary reports noted that their voices blended perfectly together.  After performing in Harlem and elsewhere they were noticed by the Astorand Vanderbilt families and were soon performing in exotic locations such as Palm Beach and Newport.

In May 1924 the duo opened at the Queens Theatre in London. Edward the Prince of Wales was incredibly taken by their music and engaged them to play at St James’s Palace soon after. Turner Layton received the gift of a pair of gold cufflinks from His Royal Highness, in grateful thanks for teaching him how to Charleston. Because of this royal approval, Turner and Clarence were much in demand and topped the bills all over the country.  They decided to stay in England and over the next few years made over one thousand recordings and sold over ten million records. 

                              

Peter Martland has stated that Layton & Johnstone were "amongst the most successful and prolific recording artists active in Britain during the period 1918 to 1931." They appeared on the BBC and at West End clubs such as the legendary Café de Paris.  They also toured Europe and played in both Berlin and Paris.A few titles became popular, including "Bye-Bye, Blackbird," "River Stay 'Way from My Door," and "It Ain't a Going to Rain No More."

A British review of Layton & Johnstone said, "One partner is at the piano but both sing, and their vocal work is of capital quality, harmonies being delightfully done." Their performing and recording repertoire included many tunes that would become standards in the Great American Songbook, along with spirituals, blues, show tunes and other popular songs of the day. They recorded early versions of songs by composers such as Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, and Cole Porter.

However in 1934, Clarence became involved in a highly public divorce scandal and partially because of the interracial angle, this caused a great scandal.  It was the end of their partnership and after satisfying their recording and performing contracts, Turner and Clarence went their separate ways.  Although they earned a great deal of money (millions by today’s standards), Clarence was not good with money and was soon declared bankrupt.  He returned to America and married the woman with whom he had had the affair but it did not last and sadly, he was unable to revive his career.  He ended up working as a janitor and in 1939 had to be admitted into a sanatorium and later died somewhere in obscurity in 1953.

Although the duo had broken up, Turner still enjoyed a great deal of success and worked and toured until the 1950s.  He appeared in a number of films and during World War Two, he boosted the morale of the troops with a number of concerts and recordings.  He retired in 1956 and lived quietly in leafy Hampstead until his death in February 1978, at the age of 83.

Turner was remembered by many as a gentle and genteel fellow, cultured and a collector of Augustus John drawings.  He was a modest and softly spoken man much liked by those who knew him and unlike Clarence, was careful with his money.  His musical estate was inherited by his daughter A’Lelia Shirley and she in turn left the copyright and royalties to the Great Ormond Street Hospital in her will on her death in January 2001.

(Edited from an article by Stuart Miller-Osborne & Wikipedia)