(December 10, 1948 – May 2, 2014)

Cleaves was lead singer for The Friends of Distinction in the 1960s.

The Friends of Distinction was founded by Harry Elston and Floyd Butler, and beside Cleaves, it included Barbara Jean Love.
During the 1970s, Cleaves also performed and recorded with Earth, Wind & Fire, and later with George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic.