13 Facts About Clare Torry

Clare H Torry was born on 29 November 1947 and is a British singer, known for performing the improvised, wordless vocals on the song "The Great Gig in the Sky" on Pink Floyd's 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon.

Clare Torry sang the theme of the 1977 film OCE in the same style, and covered the Dolly Parton single "Love Is Like a Butterfly" for the opening titles of the BBC TV series Butterflies, which ran for four series between 1978 and 1983.

Clare Torry was born in November 1947 in Marylebone, London, to Geoffrey Napier Torry, who combined careers as Lieutenant-Commander in the Fleet Air Arm and Flight Lieutenant in the RAF, and his wife Dorothy W Singer, who was secretary to six BBC Directors-General.

Clare Torry later worked as a staff songwriter for EMI.

On 4 November 1973, Clare Torry sang "The Great Gig in the Sky" at the Rainbow Theatre in London.

Clare Torry sang it with Pink Floyd again at their 1990 concert at Knebworth, and with Roger Waters at some of his 1980s solo shows.

Clare Torry performed as a session singer on 1970s UK TV adverts, and as a live backing vocalist with Kevin Ayers, Olivia Newton-John, Shriekback, The Alan Parsons Project, Procol Harum mainman Gary Brooker, Matthew Fisher, Cerrone, Meat Loaf, Johnny Mercer and Doctors of Madness.

Clare Torry released "Love for Living" in 1969, which was produced by Ronnie Scott and Robin Gibb.

Clare Torry sang the theme of the 1977 film OCE in the same style as "The Great Gig in the Sky".

Clare Torry sang backing vocals on the track "The War Song" from Culture Club's Waking Up with the House on Fire album in 1984, as well as on the track "Yellowstone Park" on the Tangerine Dream album Le Parc the following year.

On 20 October 2010, Clare Torry was presented with a BASCA Gold Badge Award in recognition of her unique contribution to music.

In 2004, Clare Torry sued Pink Floyd and EMI for songwriting royalties on the basis that her contribution to "The Great Gig in the Sky" constituted co-authorship with keyboardist Richard Wright.

In February 2006, Clare Torry released Heaven in the Sky, a collection of her early pop recordings from the 1960s and 1970s.