Merry Clayton

Merry Clayton has recorded with many diverse artists including Elvis Presley, the Supremes, Ray Charles, Carole King and the Rolling Stones.
In 1962, she recorded her very first record "The Doorbell Rings" for Teldisc Records which was produced and arranged by Jack Nitzsche. She then signed with Capitol Records where she recorded a duet with the great Bobby Darin entitled "Who Can I Count On" as well as the original version of "It's In His Kiss" a song later popularized by Betty Everett and Cher. While signed to Capitol she recorded four singles for the label before beginning a very successful career as a session singer. She also also did a duet with Elvis Presley on his album "It Happened At The Worlds Fair" in 1963.
In 1966 Merry’s friend, musician Billy Preston, arranged for her to audition for the great Ray Charles, after which she became lead singer of the Raelets for several years. Still a minor, Merry’s mother had to sign the contract on her behalf. During this time, Merry contributed vocals to such classic songs as "In the Heat of the Night", "Eleanor Rigby" and "Let’s Go Get Stoned." In 1966 Merry met Curtis Amy, Ray Charles’ musical director. Several years later (or shortly thereafter), they were married in the Astro Dome while filming Robert Altman’s Brewster McCloud in 1970.
Recognized as a songstress without peers while still in her teens, producer/arranger Jack Nitzsche recommended her to the Rolling Stones. The result was “Gimme Shelter”, one of the most famous songs in rock history. It was a duet with Mick Jagger and appeared on the triple platinum classic Let it Bleed album. Merry was also a featured artist on the soundtrack of the cult film Performance that starred Mick Jagger.
She cut an album for producer Lou Adler for A&M/Ode Records entitled Dylan’s Gospels, from which there were the successful singles “The Times They Are A Changing” and “The Migthy Quinn." At this time, she was singing background vocals for Bob Dylan and worked with Quincy Jones on several projects as a background singer. These tremendous successes led to Alder signing Merry to a recording contract with his Ode Records label. On Carole King’s Tapestry album, Merry did a duet with Carole entitled “Way Over Yonder” she also sang background on some the songs. The album went on to sell 10 million copies. Merry cut three albums and several singles for the label, one of those singles was a remake of Carole's classic song, “Oh No, Not My Baby” which was nominated for a Grammy.
In an era when black performers were not a major part of the rock scene, Merry appeared as a featured artist at the Big Sur Pop Festival with Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Country Joe & The Fish, Linda Ronstadt and Crosby Stills & Nash, where she was backed by the R&B group Love LTD.
Merry also sang on five of Joe Cocker albums, which included such classic hits as “With a Little Help From My Friends”, “Just Like A Women”, “Feeling Alright”, “Bye-Bye Blackbird”, “Darlin Be Home Soon”, “I Can Stand A Little Rain”, “Delta Lady” and “Something." She arranged all the backgrounds vocals and went on the road with Mad Dogs & Englishmen, the sensational group featuring Joe Cocker and Leon Russell.
Merry’s next musical performance was as the Acid Queen with the original London cast of The Who’s rock opera, Tommy and it’s triple platinum soundtrack album backed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. This led to another career highlight, a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II with Merry and the original Tommy cast, including Rod Stewart, Peter Sellers, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, Maggie Bell and Ritchie Havens.
In 1983, she expanded her career to include acting. Merry appeared in Tri-Star’s Blame It On The Night, starring with Nick Mancuso, musician Ollie Brown, Ted Neely (Jesus Christ Superstar) and Billy Preston. It was written by Jean Taft and Michael Phillip about Mick Jagger’s career. She then appeared in Vista’s Maid To Order, in which she starred with Ally Sheedy, Beverly D’Angelo, Michael Ontkean and Valerie Perrine. Her role included performing a song written by her great friends, Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson and produced by her late husband, Curtis Amy.
Merry’s next major milestone was singing on the soundtrack of the smash hit movie Dirty Dancing, produced by Michael Lloyd. The album sold 20 million copies worldwide, yielding 16 platinum singles. She sang solo on the song “Yes” and backgrounds on the hit “I Had The Time Of My Life." Merry also toured with the Dirty Dancing show and appeared on such TV programs as Oprah Winfrey and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
She moved to TV to play Martin Kove’s new partner, the song-willed policewomen Detective Verna Dee Jordan on the successful TV series Cagney & Lacey with Tyne Daly and Sharon Glass. Merry also appeared in Cagney & Lacey: The Return, a 1994 CBS made for TV Sunday Night Movie.
While looking for a return to her Gospel roots, Merry began performing in the group Brilliance with her Godmother, Della Reese and O.C. Smith. Merry’s journey back to the Lord would soon be complete with her Gospel album Miracles. She also stared in Steve Paul’s 20th Century Popular, which opened at a famous Rainbow Room atop of the Rockerfeller Center in New York, with cast members Darlene Love and Marianne Faithful. Before the show opened, it had totally sold out. The ladies received raved reviews from the press after one week of opening. It brought out stars and friends alike, including Liza Minnelli, Richie Haven, Bette Middler and of course, The Rolling Stones.
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