Back in March 2014, as she was experiencing 50 years in the music business, legendary session singer Merry Clayton got one more chance at stardom when the documentary 20 Feet From Stardom, about the world’s most renowned backup singers, won the Best Documentary Oscar.

But I would suggest that the story is a little more nuanced with Merry Clayton – who actually did release five albums (four available on Spotify) in her own name over the course of her career – more chances than most unknown artists would get today.

Similar to the trio Labelle’s early ‘70s releases, Martha Reeves acclaimed 1974 eponymous LP, or the late ‘70s rock covers albums of The Pointer Sisters, Clayton’s releases were quality records that fused what had become by that point a White male genre with powerhouse Black female vocals.

It would be more than three decades before someone like Brittany Howard could front the successful rock group Alabama Shakes – and back in the early ‘70s, there were still very specific roles for Black women in music: choreographed vocal groups (like the post-Diana Supremes, Gladys & her Pips, The Emotions, The Three Degrees), sexy Southern soul bad girls (Millie Jackson, Barbara Mason, Denise LaSalle), or milder TV-friendly pop vocalists (Dionne Warwick, Fifth Dimension, Diana Ross, Nancy Wilson).

Over the course of her first few albums, Clayton’s passionate vocals took on songs from across the rock world, including her own version of “Gimme Shelter,” and songs from Neil Young, Van Morrison, James Taylor, The Doors, The Eagles, and Bob Dylan, as well as her takes of by-then standards such as “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “A Song For You.”

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Singer and muscian, Billy Preston was born, 1946

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