A soulful Mississippi-born vocalist, Willie Clayton is known to his fans for his rich, passionate delivery that fuses the fierce emotions of the blues with a melodic style that honors vintage soul and rhythm & blues. While some of his earlier efforts reflected the tastes of R&B radio of the '80s, as his career progressed, his audience came to appreciate material that was more solidly rooted in soul and blues traditions, focusing on Clayton's favorite themes, love, romance, and seduction. The New Jack Swing-styled title track of 1989's Never Too Late was one of Clayton's biggest hits, 2002's The Last Man Standing typified the soulful, sexy (and sometimes funky) sound that helped propel his career into the 21st century, and 2011's Sings the Number Ones saw him honoring his influences with a set of cover tunes.