Merry Clayton and the Rolling Stones: The Soul of Gimme Shelter

Merry Clayton and the Rolling Stones

Hey everybody, it is the Trout and welcome to another episode of the Trout Show Podcast Vinyl to Viral. So glad that you're here and I'm glad I'm here too. So here's a question for you.

Can one song that you sing backup on make you famous for the rest of your life? That's the question of the day. And we're going to talk about how one singer got called at midnight one night years ago, added her voice to this iconic rock song and it became one of the greatest rock songs ever recorded in the sixties and on. It was by a little bitty group known as the Rolling Stones.

The story of that lady and how it impacted the rock music world is next on the Trout Show. Retired or getting ready to retire. David Smith, your Edward Jones financial advisor is passionate about helping you craft the retirement you've always dreamed of.

With over 20 years of experience, David creates personalized financial strategies to secure your nest egg, fund that dream vacation, or build a lasting legacy for your family. At Edward Jones, it's not just about wealth. It's about living your rich life.

Whether you're enjoying more time with grandkids or exploring new adventures, David's here to guide you every step of the way. Proud sponsor of the Trout Show. He's committed to making your retirement vibrant and worry-free.

Connect with David Smith today. Call 469-372-1587 to start planning your retirement now. And oh, by the way, David can assist anybody located in 48 continental United States.

Call David today at 469-372-1587. I can still remember very vividly dropping that phonograph needle on that album, Let It Bleed by the Rolling Stones. Listening to it all the way through and when I got to this song, I went, what a fantastic song.

That riff at the beginning where Keith Richards does that run down with the tremolo on, it's fantastic. It's just a great tune written by Keith Richards and Mick Jagger. And what I didn't know at the time was that it was about the Vietnam War.

And every time I've heard that song, in fact, I used to play in my band, I liked it so much, I always remember the part where a woman sings in the background. And it wasn't known to me for a long time who was that woman and why it was so iconic. Well her name is Mary Clayton Thomas, but not like the normal Mary, M-A-R-Y, but like Merry Christmas, as in M-E-R-R-Y, because she was born on December 25th, 1948.

Now Mary Clayton Thomas was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. And when she grew up a little bit, she said, I want to go to L.A. But she was influenced by her godmother, who was really great and she enjoyed the music by Della Reese and Mahalia Jackson, the gospel singers at the time. But she wanted to pursue a career as a professional musician.

And she started out on fire from the very beginning. After she went to L.A., she starred as a Raylette, which was somebody singing backup for Ray Charles. But she also sang with some of the most iconic musicians at the time.

She sang for Bobby Darin, which was her first paid gig, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, remember that famous song, Feeling Alright, by Joe Cocker? She's on it. Carole King, with the album Tapestry, with the famous song, You Got a Friend? She's on it. Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, Ringo Starr, Burt Bacharach, Pearl Bailey, Tori Amos, and on the Leonard Skinner song, Sweet Home Alabama.

But she has a gospel-infused voice that made her a sought-after session singer. Her singing added emotion and depth to rock, soul, and pop recordings. And she was doing okay, playing backup singer for a lot of the great musicians.

But one night in 1969, when the Stones were recording Gimme Shelter, Jagger thought it would be a good idea to have a more raunchy voice singing those great lyrics, Rape, Murder, It's Just a Shot Away. Well, he got in touch with the producer Jack Nitsche, who was very famous at the time. He was also a friend of Mary Clayton's, and called her home.

It was around midnight in LA. Yes, it's true, musicians record late. She was four months pregnant, and Jack says to Mary, Hey, can you come down and sing backup for these guys? You know, she's like, it's midnight, it's okay, jump in the car and come on down.

She showed up in silk pajamas, hair curlers, a Chanel scarf, a little bit of makeup, and a mink coat on. And what Mick Jagger said to her was, he encouraged her to interpret the lyrics as her own. That's exactly what Mary Clayton did.

During the last take, she said, I'm going to give it everything I can, and if you listen closely to those lyrics in the background, Mary singing Rape, Murder, It's Just a Shot Her voice cracks, but it was perfect for the song. But it was an intense session. The Rolling Stones were happy with it.

They thought it sounded great. Of course, we know what happened with the song, it became iconic. But unfortunately, being four months pregnant, Mary suffered a miscarriage shortly after returning home.

Which she attributed to the strain of doing the recording session. And for years, she didn't want to hear the song because it reminded her of her daughter that she lost her during the miscarriage. Despite the tragedy, Clayton's performance elevated Gimme Shelter from a strong track to an iconic masterpiece.

Often ranked, I think, among the greatest songs of the 60s. And in fact, the Stones still play it all the time when they're out doing their gigs. And every time I see one of these live shows, I wonder who they're going to get to try to sound like Mary Clayton.

They just want to have somebody that gets close, but I don't know if they'll ever get anybody as good as her when she recorded it. The next year, Mary did record her album, which she called Gimme Shelter. With Lou Adler, who was a great producer at the time.

But then she kept doing her thing. And that is singing back up for some of the most iconic musicians out there. She sang on Coldplay's 2015 album, A Head Full of Dreams.

But life was not always easy for her. Because at one time, in 2014, Mary Clayton was in a severe car accident that resulted in her losing her legs below the knees. But that didn't stop her.

She released her memoir called Beautiful Scars in 2021 and a gospel album of the same name. Which kind of she talks about reflecting on her life and her faith. And she returned back to New Orleans to her church roots.

So is it true that one song can make a difference in your career? Well, Mary Clayton is 76 years old. And she still remains an influential figure in music. People still celebrate her enduring voice and her trailblazing role in bridging soul and rock.

And even today, people pull out her vocals on Gimme Shelter and they inspire people with awe and often share it online with everybody else to let people know how Mary Clayton Thomas in one night, sang some of the most iconic rock riffs ever. So until next time people, you know what I always say. It's only rock and roll.

But I love it. See ya.