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Merry Clayton Born December 25, 1948 (age 61)
in New Orleans, Louisiana, USAOccupations Singer (both solo and back-up) Years active 1962-2000 Associated acts The Raelettes, The Rolling Stones Merry Clayton (born December 25, 1948 in Gert Town, New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American soul and gospel singer (both solo and back-up), and an actress. She has provided a number of back-up vocal tracks to songs recorded by major performing artists during the 1960s, notably her powerfully-sung duet with Mick Jagger on The Rolling Stones' song "Gimme Shelter". [1]
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[hide][edit] Biography
Clayton began her recording career in 1962 at the age of fourteen, singing "Who Can I Count On? (When I Can't Count On You)" as a duet with Bobby Darin on his album "You're The Reason I'm Living". A year later, she recorded the first version of "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)", although it was Betty Everett's version of the same year that reached the top 10 in the Billboard Hot 100.[2] Her early career included performances with artists including Ray Charles (as one of The Raelettes), Pearl Bailey, Elvis Presley, Phil Ochs, and Burt Bacharach. She co-wrote the song "Sho' Nuff" — which is about her mother — with Billy Preston [in 1971]. [3] She contributed vocals to Nicholas Roeg's 1968 film Performance.
Clayton is best known for her 1969 performance in a duet with Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones' song "Gimme Shelter". (Originally, the Stones had intended to have Bonnie Bramlett sing, but Bramlett was not available, possibly due to illness.)[4] Clayton also sang backing vocals on Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama".[5] Also, early in her career, Clayton sang backup vocals for Tom Jones, Joe Cocker and Carole King. She also originated the role of the Acid Queen in the original 1972 London production of The Who's Tommy. More recently, Clayton has provided background vocals for Sparta's latest album Threes on the songs "Atlas" and "Translation". As an actress, she co-starred with Ally Sheedy in the 1987 film Maid to Order, and played Verna Dee Jordan in the final season of Cagney & Lacey.
In 1970, Clayton recorded her own version of "Gimme Shelter," and it became the title track of her debut solo album[6], released that year. Her version would be the first of two singles under her name to crack the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #73. She continued to release solo albums throughout the next decade, notching several minor R&B singles.
Clayton sang "You're Always There When I Need You," the main title for 1980's The Nude Bomb, the first Get Smart movie, which starred Don Adams. Merry also sang the song "Yes" that was in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing and also featured on the soundtrack album. This tune became her second, and biggest hit to date to crack the Billboard Hot 100 charts, peaking at #45 in 1988. She also recorded backing vocals for Tori Amos on her 1994 hit, Cornflake Girl.
Clayton also sang backup on several tracks from Neil Young's debut album Neil Young, originally released in 1968.
[edit] Personal life
Clayton was married to jazz artist Curtis Amy until his death in 2002 [7]. Clayton's brother is the Little Feat percussionist Sam Clayton [8].
[edit] References
- ^ True, Christopher. Merry Clayton Biography. Allmusic. AOL Music http://music.aol.com/artist/merry-clayton/biography/1049777
- ^ No. 1 in May 1991, an excerpt from The Best Of 1000 UK No.1 Hits published by Omnibus Press
- ^ Heckman, Don. "Merry Clayton from 'Newahlins.'" New York Times (July 16, 1972): p. D11, D22, D24.
- ^ Paytress, Mark. The Rolling Stones: Off the Record. Omnibus Press, 2003 (ISBN 07119886920): p. 181.
- ^ Dupree, Tom (1974-10-24). "Lynyrd Skynyrd in Sweet Home Atlanta". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/alkooper/articles/story/9437632/lynyrd_skynyrd_in_sweet_home_atlanta. Retrieved 2006-09-17.
- ^ Merry Clayton- Gimme Shelter @Discogs.com
- ^ Voce, Steve. "Obituary: Curtis Amy." The Independent [London] (June 11, 2002; accessed: May 14, 2008)
- ^ Crazy Horse, Kandia. Rip It Up: The Black Experience in Rock N Roll. 1st ed. Plagrave Macmillan, 2004. (ISBN 140396243X): p. 205.
[edit] External links
This article about a United States singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merry_Clayton"
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