Best Backing Vocals

[Neil Foxlee]

Lots of tunes by the Sweet Inspirations, whose roots were in gospel (via The Drinkard Sisters): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Inspirations .

Kas, on Black A Kill Black, your guess is as good as mine. On the Heptones, there's even an album called Alton Ellis Sings, the Heptones Harmonize.

Martin, I beg to demur as far as Aretha's version of Bridge... (complete with backing vocals, quite possibly by the Sweet Inspirations, and King Curtis on sax; nice guitar too) is concerned:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9VrCSPPhdE

- and her version of Let It Be, for that matter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w09Jcjj_QOI

[NormanD]

"And the coloured girls go
Doo do doo do doo do do doo...."

[gary booth]

It's the 'Sweethearts of Soul' & Cissy Houston on backing vocals on "Bridge Over...

[AndyM]

Live it could be The Sweet Inspirations including Cissy Houston; but the studio version had session singers used by the producer Chips Moman (Mary Greene, Donna Thatcher, Susan Pilkington, Mary Holladay).

Thanks John - I am begining to think you know everything, which is a handy trait in these parts! Amazing if they hadn't sung before together, unless they're on other Moman stuff.

[NormanD]

I remember seeing a biopic on Elvis - it may have been a tv movie. It features "Suspicious Minds" being recorded in the studio. This was shown as a live recording (with backing singers, etc), although in reality it would no doubt have been overdubbed or layered, but that wouldn't have made good viewing. Ring any bells, anyone?

[LarryL]

Sorry, I'm a little late on this thread. I've always liked the backing vocals on Johnny Rivers's Poor Side of Town sung by the Blossoms (Darlene Love, Fanita James, and Jean King). They are the best part of that whole recording.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkj7vzrdC0A

[Hugh Weldon]

Welcome aboard Larry. You're not the guy from the Alabama 3 by any chance? I thought the backing vocals on 'Ain't Going to Goa' were quite something.

[will vine]

You may be late Larry but thanks for relighting this topic which I had missed completely and is, to my mind, a great topic barely nibbled at yet.

My first thoughts about backing vocals always go to the Arrival/ Kokomo singers, Paddy McHugh, Dyan Birch, and Frank Collins. No need to (actually no ability to) write in glowing celebration of the effect their live performances had on my 70's gig going days but, to simply answer Andy's original question I'd pose the question - What would Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer be without these great singers embellishing it with "Show for me, and I'll show for you" and "This is the new stuff." ? A sublime little outfit.

My second thoughts go to the call-and-response style in african pop typified by Salif Keita, and here particularly the line is blurred between backing vocals / shared lead vocals or Chorus. I now have reason to dig out "Soro" and get reacquainted with it.

And finally, right off the top of my head, thinking about a song absolutely transformed by the backing vocal, I'd have to put in a vote for Long Tall Sally by Barbara Green. If I can possibly find it and post it I'll do so. Some of you may remember it on the sampler "Let it Rock" compiled by Dave Laing with sleeve notes by Charlie Gillett. It is sensational.

[will vine]

Ah here it is...................
http://youtu.be/MWtaANIcSN8

[LarryL]

No, Hugh, I'm not the guy from Alabama 3. I did check them out, though.

Will, I have to plead ignorance about Kokomo/Arrival. I did check them out and they are quite good. Don't know how I missed them...well, I do; I was into jazz in the seventies and eighties and didn't listen to radio much. I see what you mean about Peter Gabriel's Slegehammer.

Sue and Sunny were another pair of excellent backing vocalists. They were part of Brotherhood of Man on United We Stand. They also backed a lot of big names, Dusty Springfield, Elton John, T. Rex, and Tom Jones to mention a few. There's an article on Wikipedia about them. No one seems to know what Sunny Leslie is doing these days. This is their hit from 1970. I watch it several times a day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB3RBxnn98g