Merry Clayton, the voice behind many great voices

"I started with Bobby Darin. He signed me to Capital when I was 14, getting ready to be 15. And then the next encounter I had was with Peggy Lee. I sang background with The Blossoms, with Darlene Love. And then I went to Ray Charles, and then I left Ray, and I went to Lou Adler. I sang with Carole King, James Taylor, Neil Young, Elvis Presley, The Bee Gees. Who else? I’m drawing a blank here.” Merry Clayton in a 2013 interview with NPR Radios.

Who else indeed! Merry Clayton is the soulful backup singer whose emotive voice you will have heard throughout the decades on records and live performances from The Supremes to Coldplay, and so many in between! Her most memorable vocal performance is no doubt the chorus of The Rolling Stones ‘Gimme Shelter’ where she sings the gritty lyric “Rape, Murder, Is just a shot away!” with gospel infused passion, rock and roll angst, and soulful integrity. Whilst Jagger’s vocal performance on this track is one of my absolute favourites, it’s Clayton’s voice that transforms the song, making it the huge success that it is!

Merry Clayton would recall how having just come off the road with Ray Charles, she was asleep in bed when she got a phone call in the middle of the night from The Stones producer Jack Nietzsche, who asked her to come and sing a back up vocal on a track called ‘Gimme Shelter’. Clayton hadn’t heard of The Rolling Stones before, but she new Jack Nietzsche and trusted him when he told her that "I really think this would be something good for you.’’ Heavily pregnant at the time, Clayton got up and made her way to the studio still in her silk pyjamas, where she was met by Keith Richards and Mick Jagger.

Having sung a first take. Clayton lay down two more vocal tracks, this time an octave higher and really connecting with the lyric. Her voice cracked a little on the word Murder’ which only added to the emotional intensity, and if you listen closely, you can hear Mick Jagger hollering ‘ Whoo!' in the background, blown away by her vocal performance!

After the success of Gimme Shelter, Merry Clayton became even more in demand as a session singer: now rock musicians who wanted a gospel feel wanted her too. Sadly though, for many years Clayton couldn't bear to listen to that recording. Shortly after the session she suffered a miscarriage that she put down to the exertion of singing, and opening the heavy studio doors. She was heartbroken. Despite this, in 1970. she confronted the song, recording her own version which became the title track of her debut solo album. Her version of Gimme Shelter reached the No. 73 on the popcharts.

Merry, who was given her name because she was born on Christmas Day in 1948, had an incredible musical upbringing. Her Father was a Minister at his Baptist Church in New Orleans. He loved to sing, and the church's musical reputation was such that when the likes of Sam Cooke and The Soul Stirrers were passing through town, they would come and visit and perform. 

In 1963, Clayton stepped up from her back up singing position to that of ‘guest lead vocalist', joining Bobby Darin for a duet on the track "Who can I count on if I can’t count on you”. I love how the track starts quite tame with Darin's first verse, and then when Clayton begins singing in Verse 2, the song is propelled to a whole other level of greatness that seems to make Darin up his game in his 3rd Verse.

By 1968. Merry Clayton was a well known and sought after session singer. Folk Rocker Neil Young hired her to sing on several tracks on his debut album. Clayton became a fan of Young's powerful songwriting and in 1971, she covered his civil rights protest song 'Southern Man' on her self-titled album. Southern Man addresses the history of slavery and the racism of its aftermath. 

In June 2014, tragedy struck. Clayton was critically injured in a car collision in Los Angeles California. Thankfully she survived, but she had to have both of her legs amputated at the knees. I cannot begin to imagine how tough that would be, both mentally and physically, but what amazed me was the phenomenal strength that Clayton showed to get back out there and carry on making music. The moment her surgeon awakened her and advised her of what had happened, she responded: "Doctor, I may not now have all my body parts...but I still have this voice!”

The year after the accident, Clayton was featured on two tracks on Coldplay’s multi-million selling album A Head Full of Dreams. The album ends with an uplifting anthem called Up and Up where vocalist Chris Martin sings:

"Fixing up a car to drive in it again, when you’re in pain, When you think you’ve had enough, Don’t ever give up”

It’s almost as if the song was written for, or about Clayton, who gives a spiritual feel to the track contributing some awesome gospel adlibs.

In 2021, Clayton signed to Motown and her fourth solo album Beautiful Scars was  released. Seven years after the accident that almost took her life, she shows just what an amazing strong spirit she has, with a beautiful record that tells her inspirational story.