Uncredited background singer
Encyclopedia
Uncredited background vocals are common in popular music
, even when the unnamed performer adds significantly to the performance. It is uncommon for background singers to be credited. Usually credit is withheld so as to highlight the performance of the lead artist and sometimes the extra singer simply happened to be in the studio. Unknown background singers may also come to prominence later.
Significant uncredited background vocals appear in the following songs:
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
, even when the unnamed performer adds significantly to the performance. It is uncommon for background singers to be credited. Usually credit is withheld so as to highlight the performance of the lead artist and sometimes the extra singer simply happened to be in the studio. Unknown background singers may also come to prominence later.
Significant uncredited background vocals appear in the following songs:
- John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
of the BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
perform on the Rolling StonesThe Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
' "We Love You". - "Roll with me HenryThe Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry)"The Wallflower" is a popular song. It was one of several answer songs to "Work With Me Annie" and has the same 12-bar blues melody....
" by Etta JamesEtta JamesEtta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
includes Richard BerryRichard BerryRichard Berry was an African American singer, songwriter and musician, who performed with many Los Angeles doo-wop and close harmony groups in the 1950s, including The Flairs and The Robins....
, author of "Louie LouieLouie Louie"Louie Louie" is an American rock 'n' roll song written by Richard Berry in 1955. It has become a standard in pop and rock, with hundreds of versions recorded by different artists...
", performing the role of "Henry". - Sam CookeSam CookeSamuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
's "Bring It on Home to MeBring It On Home to Me"Bring It On Home to Me" is a 1962 soul song written and recorded by R&B singer-songwriter Sam Cooke. The song, about infidelity, was a hit for Cooke and has become a pop standard covered by numerous artists of different genres. It is one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped...
" has vocal responses by Lou RawlsLou RawlsLouis Allen "Lou" Rawls was an American soul, jazz, and blues singer. He was known for his smooth vocal style: Frank Sinatra once said that Rawls had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game"...
matching Cooke word for word and note for note. - Mick JaggerMick JaggerSir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
performs uncredited background vocals on Carly SimonCarly SimonCarly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
's recording of "You're So VainYou're So Vain"You're So Vain" is a song written and performed by Carly Simon and released in December 1972. The song is a critical profile of a self-absorbed lover; Simon asserts "You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you." The subject's identity has been the matter of speculation, fueled by...
", which led to the apparently erroneous theory that the song was about Jagger. - Howlin' WolfHowlin' WolfChester Arthur Burnett , known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player....
sings uncredited on Koko TaylorKoko TaylorKoko Taylor sometimes spelled KoKo Taylor was an American Chicago blues musician, popularly known as the "Queen of the Blues." She was known primarily for her rough, powerful vocals and traditional blues stylings....
's version of "Wang Dang DoodleWang Dang Doodle"Wang Dang Doodle" is a blues song written by Willie Dixon for Howlin' Wolf at Chess Records in Chicago. It has been covered by many artists, including Love Sculpture, Koko Taylor, Z. Z. Hill, Ted Nugent, the Pointer Sisters, PJ Harvey, Grateful Dead, Ratdog, Savoy Brown, Charlie Watts, Booker T....
", which Wolf had recorded previously. - Jimmy ReedJimmy ReedMathis James "Jimmy" Reed was an American blues musician and songwriter, notable for bringing his distinctive style of blues to mainstream audiences. Reed was a major player in the field of electric blues, as opposed to the more acoustic-based sound of many of his contemporaries...
's wife, Mary "Mama" Reed, sings uncredited unison harmony on many of his songs, including two of his biggest hits, "Big Boss ManBig Boss ManBig Boss Man may refer to:*Big Boss Man , a British jazz/funk band*"Big Boss Man", a blues song made famous by Jimmy Reed*Big Boss Man , an album by The Kentucky Headhunters*Ray Traylor, a professional wrestler...
" and "Bright Lights, Big CityBright Lights, Big CityBright Lights, Big City may refer to: *""Bright Lights, Big City" ", a 1961 song by Jimmy Reed*Bright Lights, Big City , a 1984 novel by Jay McInerney*Bright Lights, Big City , a 1988 film based on McInerney's novel...
". - Dean FriedmanDean FriedmanDean Friedman is an American singer-songwriter who plays piano, keyboard, guitar and other instruments, including the harmonica.-Music:...
's UK hit "Lucky Stars" features the uncredited Denise MarsaDenise MarsaDenise Marsa is an American singer/songwriter, born in Trenton, New Jersey.She moved to New York City in the 1970s and formed her own band. When performing in a club she was approached by Dean Friedman, who invited her to sing on his next album. She sang a duet - "Lucky Stars" - with Friedman, on...
. - Jonathan RichmanJonathan RichmanJonathan Michael Richman is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 1970 he founded The Modern Lovers, an influential proto-punk band. Since the mid-1970s, Richman has worked either solo or with low-key, generally acoustic backing...
's "The Neighbors" features Jody Ross. - DonovanDonovanDonovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
's "Mellow YellowMellow Yellow"Mellow Yellow" is a song and single release by Donovan. It reached #2 on the Billboard charts in the U.S. in 1966 and #8 in the UK in early 1967....
" features the background vocals of Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
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