Merry Clayton
Born in
Gert Town, New Orleans,
Louisiana, 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,
Phil Ochs, and
Burt Bacharach. (She is often credited as having recorded with
Elvis Presley but her name does not appear in Elvis sessionographies.)
[3] In 1971 she co-wrote the song "Sho' Nuff", which is about her mother.
[4] She contributed vocals to
Donald Cammell and
Nicolas Roeg's 1968 film
Performance.
Clayton also sang backup on several tracks from Neil Young's debut album Neil Young, originally released in 1968.
She is best known for her 1
969 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 because of illness.)
[5] Clayton also sang backing vocals on Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama".
[6] Also, early in her career, Clayton sang backup vocals for
Tom Jones,
Joe Cocker ("
Feelin' Alright") 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,
[7] released that year. Her version would be the first of five singles under her name to crack the
Billboard Hot 100, reaching #73. In the mid-70's she sang on The BlackByrds' R&B hit "Rock Creek Park". She continued to release solo albums throughout the next decade, notching several minor
R&B singles. Clayton performs a live version of what has been deemed the Black National Anthem
Lift Every Voice and Sing, on the soundtrack for the 1970
Robert Altman film
Brewster McCloud.
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. She also sang the song "Yes" that was in the 1987 film
Dirty Dancing, and featured on the soundtrack album. This tune became her biggest hit to date to crack the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #45 in 1988. She also recorded backing vocals for and sang the infamous 'Man with the Golden Gun' bridge on
Tori Amos's 1994 hit, "
Cornflake Girl".