Merry Clayton was born on December 25,1948 and is an American soul and gospel singer.
19 Facts About Merry Clayton
2.
Merry Clayton provided a number of backing vocal tracks for major performing artists in the 1960s.
3.
Merry Clayton's most notable performance was a duet with Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones song "Gimme Shelter".
4.
Merry Clayton was raised in New Orleans as a Christian, and spent much of her time in her father's parish, New Zion Baptist Church.
5.
Merry Clayton is often credited as having recorded with Elvis Presley but her name does not appear in Elvis's sessionographies.
6.
Merry Clayton has been sampled in various songs, most notably "Watch for the Hook" by Cool Breeze featuring Goodie Mob and Outkast.
7.
Merry Clayton began her recording career in 1962, at the age of 14.
8.
Early in her career, Merry Clayton performed with Ray Charles.
9.
Merry Clayton is best known for her 1969 duet with Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones song "Gimme Shelter".
10.
Merry Clayton was actually the band's second choice for the part; The Stones had asked Bonnie Bramlett to sing on the song, but Bramlett's husband Delaney refused to let her perform with the Stones.
11.
In 1970, Merry Clayton recorded her own version of "Gimme Shelter", and it became the title track of her debut solo album, released that year.
12.
In 1973, Merry Clayton featured prominently on Ringo Starr's "Oh My My", which reached Billboard's Top 10 the following year.
13.
In 1987, Merry Clayton co-starred with Ally Sheedy in the film Maid to Order.
14.
In 1989, Merry Clayton recorded a cover version of "Almost Paradise" with Eric Carmen.
15.
In 1994, Merry Clayton sang backing vocals and the "Man with the Golden Gun" bridge for Tori Amos's hit, "Cornflake Girl".
16.
In 2006, Merry Clayton provided backing vocals for Sparta's album Threes, on the songs "Atlas" and "Translations".
17.
Merry Clayton was featured in the documentary film 20 Feet from Stardom, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and went on to win the Oscar for best documentary at the 86th Academy Awards.
18.
Merry Clayton was married to jazz artist Curtis Amy from 1970 until his death in 2002.
19.
Merry Clayton had a miscarriage upon returning home from recording "Gimme Shelter", according to the Los Angeles Times.