Merry Clayton
| Merry Clayton | |
|---|---|
Clayton in December 2012 at a ceremony for Carole King to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
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| Background information | |
| Born |
December 25, 1948 Gert Town, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
| Genres | Soul, gospel |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Actress |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Associated acts | |
Merry Clayton (born December 25, 1948) is an American soul and gospel singer and an actress. She provided a number of backing vocal tracks for major performing artists in the 1960s, most notably in her duet with Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones song "Gimme Shelter." Clayton is featured in 20 Feet from Stardom, the Oscar-winning documentary about background singers and their contributions to the music industry. In 2013, she released The Best of Merry Clayton, a compilation of her favorite songs.
Clayton was born in Gert Town, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Clayton began her recording career in 1962 at the age of 14, 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." In 1963 she recorded the first version of "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)," the same year that Betty Everett's version reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Early in her career Merry performed with Ray Charles (as one of the Raelettes), Pearl Bailey, Phil Ochs, Burt Bacharach, Tom Jones, Joe Cocker, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, and on several tracks from Neil Young's debut album. Clayton is often credited as having recorded with Elvis Presley but her name does not appear in Elvis sessionographies.
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