# Is that that famous singer singing background? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [March 10, 2022, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844 "2022-03-10T20:00:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844/61 "2022-03-15T19:06:53Z")
She was on the live ones for sure! ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844/62 "2022-03-15T19:16:10Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > > [@Biggirl](#): > > > > Katey Sagal was famously (or maybe not so famously) a Harlette singing behind Bette Midler. That freaking mermaid tour was incredible! > > Yes but I can’t find anywhere that she was on one of Bette’s albums. Katey Sagal – and Luther Vandross – are credited on Midler’s second live album _Divine Madness_. > **[Divine Madness (Bette Midler album) | Personnel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_Madness_(Bette_Midler_album)#Personnel)** > > 1.Bette Midler - lead vocals | > 2.Tony Berg - guitar, background vocals | > 3.Jon Bonine - trombone, background vocals | > 4.Joey Carbone - keyboards, background vocals | > 5.Rich Cooper - trumpet | > 6.David Luell - saxophone | > 7.John Pierce - bass guitar | > 8.David Shank - percussion | > 9.Chas Sanford - lead guitar | > 10.Art Wood - drums | > 11.Michael Boddicker - synthesizers | > 12.Randy Kerber - keyboards, background vocals | > 13.Jocelyn Brown - background vocals | > 14.Ula Hedwig - background voc... ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2022, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844/63 "2022-03-22T10:26:33Z")
Kate Pierson of The B-52s sang on R.E.M.'s song **Shiny Happy People**. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2022, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844/64 "2022-03-22T11:02:25Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > Bob Dylan, credited as “Robert Milkwood Thomas,” sang backup on a couple of songs on Steve Goodman’s _Somebody Else’s Troubles_ album. I love Bob, but having him as a backup singer is … odd … given that he can sing only passably well on a good day, and he has a lot of bad days. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2022, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844/65 "2022-03-22T15:20:07Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > Kate Pierson of The B-52s sang on R.E.M.'s song **Shiny Happy People**. Not to mention duetting with Iggy Pop on **Candy**. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2022, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844/66 "2022-03-22T21:16:15Z")
He does have a distinctive, immediately identifiable voice, though, so that having him sing backup on a song gives it a certain cachet. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2022, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844/67 "2022-03-22T22:44:55Z")
Glenn Frey and Bob Segar were friends in Detroit as teenagers. Frey sang backup on Segar’s first hit, “Ramblin’ Gamblin” Man" and they continued to contribute to each others records afterward. “the Eagles sang backup on Seger material such as “Fire Lake,” Frey sang backup on “Against the Wind,” and Seger co-wrote the Eagles smash “Heartache Tonight.”” ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2022, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844/68 "2022-03-22T22:46:00Z")
Do they have to be famous primarily as a singer? British Ska / Pop band **Madness** got famous film star **Michael Caine** to specifically record his (basically spoken word) contribution for the original version of the song **(My Name Is) Michael Caine**. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/j-5yn3v3N8A/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AGOBYAC4AOKAgwIABABGGEgYShhMA8=&rs=AOn4CLDLUZdY6xu9QLoIXBMWjejutBojrQ "Madness - (My Name Is) Michael Caine (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-5yn3v3N8A) Trivia. Although **Madness** were massively successful in the UK, ‘Old Fogie’ **Michael Caine** had never heard of them and declined the initial approach to work with them. He was then persuaded to by his daughter who was shocked when she found out her father had turned them down. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844/69 "2022-03-23T03:22:47Z")
Speaking of spoken word, Billy Gibbons did the spoken word parts between verses of Nickelback’s _Rockstar._ ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2022, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844/70 "2022-03-24T15:28:05Z")
Also REM’s “Near Wild Heaven,” “Radio Song,” and “Me in Honey” ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2022, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844/71 "2022-03-24T17:58:15Z")
I thought you were cuckoo at first, so I just played _Radio Song_ and _Country Feedback_ and there she is, quite subtly, in the background. She’s not credited on Near Wild Heaven, though. I’m pretty sure the high voice in the chorus (living inside, living inside) is Bill Berry (not that he sounds anything like Kate PIerson.) ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2022, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844/72 "2022-03-24T18:16:41Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > one source sez “Don’t Come Around Here No More”. A song I had forgotten about so I looked up the video. Wow! What an enigmatic video. I smiled and laughed the whole way through. I loved the set they used. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/h0JvF9vpqx8/maxresdefault.jpg "Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Don't Come Around Here No More (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0JvF9vpqx8) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2022, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844/73 "2022-03-24T18:27:03Z")
Wikipedia lists her and I can hear what sounds like her, particularly midway through the verses in to the “not near enough” lyric: > **[Near Wild Heaven](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_Wild_Heaven)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > "Near Wild Heaven" is the third single released from R.E.M.'s seventh studio album, Out of Time, in 1991. The song was the first single released by the band to have had its lyrics both co-written and sung by bassist Mike Mills. According to a quote from Peter Buck in R.E.M. Inside Out: The Stories Behind Every Song by Craig Rosen, the lyrics are a collaboration between Mills and lead singer Michael Stipe. It peaked at No. 27 on the UK Singles Char... She’s also mentioned a few times for her backup vocal on the Youtube videos of the song. I didn’t mention “Country Feedback,” but “Me in Honey.” She’s pretty obvious there. Kate’s someone I can hear a mile away. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2022, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844/74 "2022-03-24T19:13:50Z")
…Speaking of Bowie… bear with me here. I probably need to introduce you to Mary Hopkin. Here she is finishing second in the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest, with the sort of fluffy, sugary, worthless pap I associate her with. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lb0dBVWozRo/hqdefault.jpg "Mary Hopkin ~ Knock Knock Who's There 1970") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb0dBVWozRo) Worldwide hit, even (modestly) in the US. I mean, nice voice and all, but not exactly great art. So: want to hear her on some great art? > Hopkin was visiting the Château with her children when Eno asked her to sing. She recorded her vocals before any lyrics or melody were written, recalling in 2011: > > One evening, Brian [Eno] called me into the studio to sing a quick backing vocal with him on ‘Sound and Vision’. We sang his cute little ‘doo doo’ riff in unison. It was meant to be a distant echo but, when David heard it, he pushed up the fader until it became a prominent vocal – much to my embarrassment, as I thought it very twee… [[source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_and_Vision)] [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WoDamvrfUbQ/hqdefault.jpg "David bowie-Sound and vision") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoDamvrfUbQ) It’s a slight digression but, considering her solo career, the list of artists she did backing vocals for is remarkable. Per her [wiki page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Hopkin) > …she sang on numerous recordings that her husband produced, such as those featuring Tom Paxton, Ralph McTell, David Bowie (Low), Bert Jansch, The Radiators from Space, Thin Lizzy, Carmen, Sarstedt Brothers, Osibisa, Sparks, Hazel O’Connor, and Elaine Paige. On all of these recordings (and also on her husband’s own Inventory album) she is credited as “Mary Visconti”. [Her then husband being Tony Visconti] j ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844/75 "2022-03-24T20:37:43Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Wikipedia lists her and I can hear what sounds like her, particularly midway through the verses in to the “not near enough” lyric Oh yeah, funny how it’s easy to hear once you know. I can also pick her out in the ‘buh buh buh buh buh’ parts too. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2022, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844/76 "2022-03-24T20:42:36Z")
Even if you didn’t know, there’s just something very distinctive about her voice. Like first time I heard “Shiny Happy People”, where, admittedly, she’s much more prominent, it was like “hey! That’s Kate Pierson of the B-52s.” Can you believe she’s 73 already? Where has all the time gone? (She’s actually a couple months older than my dad, holy cow!) ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2022, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844/77 "2022-03-24T20:45:59Z")
I’m embarrassed I haven’t already thought of this one. BOC with Patti Smith doing a brief spoken-word intro and then background vocals. Smith also has a co-writing credit here, as she does on a few other BOC songs. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XH8nsquhPqo/hqdefault.jpg "Blue Öyster Cult-The Revenge of Vera Gemini") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH8nsquhPqo) ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2022, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844/78 "2022-03-24T21:09:02Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > John Lennon (under the name Dr. Winston O’Boogie) sang and played guitar on Elton John’s cover version of _Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds_ . And likewise Elton John provides harmony vocals to Lennon’s “Whatever Gets You thru the Night”. I think he also guests on keyboards. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2022, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844/79 "2022-03-24T21:25:26Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > I’m embarrassed I haven’t already thought of this one. BOC with Patti Smith doing a brief spoken-word intro and then background vocals. Smith also has a co-writing credit here, as she does on a few other BOC songs. She’s also on R.E.M.'s “E-Bow The Letter”. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/5cnIQHJ169s/maxresdefault.jpg "R.E.M. - E-Bow The Letter (Official HD Music Video) feat. Patti Smith") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cnIQHJ169s) ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2022, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844/80 "2022-03-24T23:00:42Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > She’s also on R.E.M.'s “E-Bow The Letter”. And the song _Blue_ from their final studio album _Collapse Into Now_. The band wanted her to sing on _Everybody Hurts_ too, but there was a scheduling conflict. That would have added an interesting dimension to the song. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-that-famous-singer-singing-background/960844.md?page=5)