Biography
Merry Clayton first captured widespread attention through her commanding vocal contributions to the Rolling Stones' 1969 anti-war anthem "Gimme Shelter," establishing her as a gospel-rooted singer whose career later spanned backup work, solo releases, and acting roles. Early in the 1960s she joined Ray Charles' Raelettes, yet her profile rose sharply after the Stones track, which quickly became one of the era's defining Vietnam-era statements. She revisited the same composition on her 1971 debut album Gimme Shelter and parlayed that momentum into further solo projects while lending her voice to Carole King, Linda Ronstadt, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and additional artists. Church-raised, she had already performed gospel alongside Della Reese before branching into film and television appearances. After her featured role in the Oscar-winning 2013 documentary 20 Feet from Stardom, a car accident necessitated the amputation of both legs below the knee; she nevertheless reemerged in 2021 with the studio album Beautiful Scars.
Her December 25, 1948 birth prompted the name Merry, and she was raised in New Orleans by Eva B. Clayton and Reverend A.G. Williams Clayton, Sr. in a household steeped in faith and music. From age five she sang alongside her siblings—including percussionist Sam Clayton—at her father's New Zion Baptist Church. Following the family's relocation to Los Angeles, teenage Clayton drew the notice of vocal ensemble the Blossoms, whose members mentored her and urged a professional path. Frequently credited as "Mary," she soon secured session work; her first recording credit arrived in 1962 via a duet with Bobby Darin on "Who Can I Count On? (When I Can't Count on You.)." Around that period Jack Nitzsche produced her solo single "The Doorbell Rings," and in 1963 she cut the original version of "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)," later a Top Ten hit for Betty Everett.
Additional engagements included membership in Ray Charles' Raelettes and backing vocals for Pearl Bailey, Phil Ochs, Burt Bacharach, Tom Jones, Joe Cocker, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, and several tracks on Neil Young's debut album. Her reputation crystallized during the 1969 Rolling Stones session for "Gimme Shelter," where pregnant Clayton's prominent chorus harmonies with Mick Jagger were captured in a late-night date produced by Nitzsche. Although never issued as a single, the track propelled Let It Bleed to number three on the Billboard 200 and cemented its status as an iconic '60s protest song, still performed regularly by the Stones and ranked among their finest recordings.
Clayton issued her Lou Adler-produced debut Gimme Shelter in 1970, supported by keyboardists Billy Preston and Joe Sample, guitarist David T. Walker, drummer Paul Humphrey, and other soul and funk players; her rendition reached number 73 on the Hot 100. That year she also recorded "Lift Every Voice and Sing" for the Brewster McCloud soundtrack and contributed two songs to Performance, which starred Jagger. Her self-titled sophomore album arrived in 1971, again featuring Preston, Sample, and the James Cleveland Choir, while her cover of the Carole King/Gerry Goffin composition "Oh No Not My Baby" became her second Hot 100 entry and earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance. She originated the Acid Queen role in the first London staging of the Who's Tommy that same year.
High-profile sessions continued on Carole King's Tapestry, Linda Ronstadt's Linda Ronstadt, the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St., and Lynyrd Skynyrd's Second Helping, where she appeared on "Sweet Home Alabama." Further credits included Ringo Starr's 1974 Top Five hit "Oh My My" and the Blackbyrds' 1975 single "Rock Creek Park," before she resumed solo activity with the Gene McDaniels-produced Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow. She closed the decade with 1979's Emotion, blending disco and gospel elements. Although her own releases slowed thereafter, she remained in demand for sessions with Irene Cara, the Brothers Johnson, Kenny Loggins, Lou Gramm, and others, supplied soundtrack material—including another Hot 100 placement with "Yes" from Dirty Dancing—and joined Della Reese's gospel collective Brilliance while taking acting parts in Maid to Order and Cagney & Lacey. In 1989 she duetted with Eric Carmen on "Almost Paradise."
Her return to solo recording came with the 1994 gospel project Miracles, the same year she sang on Tori Amos' "Cornflake Girl." She joined Marianne Faithfull and Darlene Love for a 1996 television performance of "20 Rock-Era Standards" on 20th Century Pop, and additional work encompassed sessions with Sparta, Joe Cocker, and Holly Robinson. Clayton's profile rose again through her appearance in 20 Feet from Stardom, which received both the Oscar for Best Documentary and the Grammy for Best Music Film; around that time she also recorded with G. Love & Special Sauce on Sugar and with Coldplay on A Head Full of Dreams.
A 2014 Los Angeles car crash caused severe lower-extremity injuries that required amputation at the knees. After rehabilitation she completed Beautiful Scars in 2021, co-produced by longtime associate Lou Adler and gospel figure Terry Young and featuring material from Diane Warren and Chris Martin. The set also contained a new reading of Leon Russell's "Song for You," which she had first cut on her 1971 debut.
Her December 25, 1948 birth prompted the name Merry, and she was raised in New Orleans by Eva B. Clayton and Reverend A.G. Williams Clayton, Sr. in a household steeped in faith and music. From age five she sang alongside her siblings—including percussionist Sam Clayton—at her father's New Zion Baptist Church. Following the family's relocation to Los Angeles, teenage Clayton drew the notice of vocal ensemble the Blossoms, whose members mentored her and urged a professional path. Frequently credited as "Mary," she soon secured session work; her first recording credit arrived in 1962 via a duet with Bobby Darin on "Who Can I Count On? (When I Can't Count on You.)." Around that period Jack Nitzsche produced her solo single "The Doorbell Rings," and in 1963 she cut the original version of "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)," later a Top Ten hit for Betty Everett.
Additional engagements included membership in Ray Charles' Raelettes and backing vocals for Pearl Bailey, Phil Ochs, Burt Bacharach, Tom Jones, Joe Cocker, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, and several tracks on Neil Young's debut album. Her reputation crystallized during the 1969 Rolling Stones session for "Gimme Shelter," where pregnant Clayton's prominent chorus harmonies with Mick Jagger were captured in a late-night date produced by Nitzsche. Although never issued as a single, the track propelled Let It Bleed to number three on the Billboard 200 and cemented its status as an iconic '60s protest song, still performed regularly by the Stones and ranked among their finest recordings.
Clayton issued her Lou Adler-produced debut Gimme Shelter in 1970, supported by keyboardists Billy Preston and Joe Sample, guitarist David T. Walker, drummer Paul Humphrey, and other soul and funk players; her rendition reached number 73 on the Hot 100. That year she also recorded "Lift Every Voice and Sing" for the Brewster McCloud soundtrack and contributed two songs to Performance, which starred Jagger. Her self-titled sophomore album arrived in 1971, again featuring Preston, Sample, and the James Cleveland Choir, while her cover of the Carole King/Gerry Goffin composition "Oh No Not My Baby" became her second Hot 100 entry and earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance. She originated the Acid Queen role in the first London staging of the Who's Tommy that same year.
High-profile sessions continued on Carole King's Tapestry, Linda Ronstadt's Linda Ronstadt, the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St., and Lynyrd Skynyrd's Second Helping, where she appeared on "Sweet Home Alabama." Further credits included Ringo Starr's 1974 Top Five hit "Oh My My" and the Blackbyrds' 1975 single "Rock Creek Park," before she resumed solo activity with the Gene McDaniels-produced Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow. She closed the decade with 1979's Emotion, blending disco and gospel elements. Although her own releases slowed thereafter, she remained in demand for sessions with Irene Cara, the Brothers Johnson, Kenny Loggins, Lou Gramm, and others, supplied soundtrack material—including another Hot 100 placement with "Yes" from Dirty Dancing—and joined Della Reese's gospel collective Brilliance while taking acting parts in Maid to Order and Cagney & Lacey. In 1989 she duetted with Eric Carmen on "Almost Paradise."
Her return to solo recording came with the 1994 gospel project Miracles, the same year she sang on Tori Amos' "Cornflake Girl." She joined Marianne Faithfull and Darlene Love for a 1996 television performance of "20 Rock-Era Standards" on 20th Century Pop, and additional work encompassed sessions with Sparta, Joe Cocker, and Holly Robinson. Clayton's profile rose again through her appearance in 20 Feet from Stardom, which received both the Oscar for Best Documentary and the Grammy for Best Music Film; around that time she also recorded with G. Love & Special Sauce on Sugar and with Coldplay on A Head Full of Dreams.
A 2014 Los Angeles car crash caused severe lower-extremity injuries that required amputation at the knees. After rehabilitation she completed Beautiful Scars in 2021, co-produced by longtime associate Lou Adler and gospel figure Terry Young and featuring material from Diane Warren and Chris Martin. The set also contained a new reading of Leon Russell's "Song for You," which she had first cut on her 1971 debut.
Albums
Lift Ev'ry Voice: The Best of the Best, 1969 - 1975
2021
Beautiful Scars
2021
Emotion
1979
Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow
1975
Merry Clayton
1971
Singles
