# Melinda Doolittle sang background. Who else? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 7, 2007, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melinda-doolittle-sang-background-who-else/414766 "2007-08-07T18:01:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melinda-doolittle-sang-background-who-else/414766/1 "2007-08-07T18:01:46Z")
A friend of mine is a huge Melinda Doolittle fan and wants me to join her to see Melinda and the rest of the Idol contestants in Long Island at the end of the month. I’m not a big fan of the show, but I did see a few episodes and wow, Melinda Doolittle can sing! And that got me to thinking, who else has made it really big as a lead performer but started out as a background singer. I know Martha Reeves sanfg background for a while, but there must be more and even bigger stars. Right? ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melinda-doolittle-sang-background-who-else/414766/2 "2007-08-07T18:10:00Z")
If she actually has singing talent, what’s she doing on American Idol? Kirsty MacColl sang backup for a number of bands including the Smiths, Talking Heads, and others, before releasing her own solo albums. Her career was tragically cut short by a reckless boater in Mexico. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melinda-doolittle-sang-background-who-else/414766/3 "2007-08-07T18:32:01Z")
Katey Sagal (Peg Bundy on _Married With Children_, Leela on _Futurama_) did a bit of backup singing, including a tour with Bette Midler. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melinda-doolittle-sang-background-who-else/414766/4 "2007-08-07T18:50:30Z")
Maggie and Terre Roche were tapped to be background singers on Paul Simon’s **There Goes Rhymin’ Simon** before they started their career as the Roches. I can’t be sure, but the first Blood Sweat and Tears album\* has a backup singer named Melba Moorman, which is suspiciously like Melba Moore, who was doing backup vocals in New York (where the album was recorded) at the time. \*_Child is Father to the Man_; the group did not have David Clayton-Thomas at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melinda-doolittle-sang-background-who-else/414766/5 "2007-08-07T18:55:17Z")
Sheryl Crow began her career as a back-up singer. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melinda-doolittle-sang-background-who-else/414766/6 "2007-08-07T18:55:40Z")
Donna Jean Godchaux sang back up for Elvis Presley, Boz Scaggs, and Percey Sledge before she moved to California, married Keith Godchaux, ate a little LSD and told Jerry Garcia (in no uncertain terms) “My husband’s your new keyboard player.” ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melinda-doolittle-sang-background-who-else/414766/7 "2007-08-07T18:56:53Z")
IIRC, the Beatles first recording was singing background for Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melinda-doolittle-sang-background-who-else/414766/8 "2007-08-07T19:02:12Z")
Paula Cole sang backup for Peter Gabriel (live only, IIRC) before her solo career took off. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melinda-doolittle-sang-background-who-else/414766/9 "2007-08-07T20:24:36Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] Sheryl Crow began her career as a back-up singer. [/QUOTE] For Michael Jackson. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melinda-doolittle-sang-background-who-else/414766/10 "2007-08-07T22:04:00Z")
> [@](#): > > For Michael Jackson. Also Don Henley, Eric Clapton, and Rod Stewart. ---
**Author:** ![I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9fc29f/32.png) [@I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_m_Ron_Burgundy)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melinda-doolittle-sang-background-who-else/414766/11 "2007-08-07T22:22:13Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] IIRC, the Beatles first recording was singing background for Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. [/QUOTE] First record was with Tony Sheridan, My Bonnie ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2007, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melinda-doolittle-sang-background-who-else/414766/12 "2007-08-08T00:56:12Z")
Phil Collins did backup vocals in Genesis, and became their lead singer when Peter Gabriel left. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2007, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melinda-doolittle-sang-background-who-else/414766/13 "2007-08-08T03:05:57Z")
Toni Tennille, of “The Captain and…,” sang backup on Elton John’s song “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down on Me.” Mick Jagger sang backup on Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain.” Sting sang backup in Dire Straits’s “Money for Nothing.” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melinda-doolittle-sang-background-who-else/414766/14 "2007-08-09T12:42:46Z")
Barry Manilow also did backup for Bette Midler ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melinda-doolittle-sang-background-who-else/414766/15 "2007-08-09T12:54:18Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] Toni Tennille, of “The Captain and…,” sang backup on Elton John’s song “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down on Me.” [/QUOTE] She’s also listed in the credits of “The Wall” ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melinda-doolittle-sang-background-who-else/414766/16 "2007-08-09T15:12:00Z")
Thanks for the suggestions. Most of these, though, were not what I was looking for. I’m looking for the Sheryl Crow-type story where someone was an anonymous back-up singer and then made it to stardom, not a star how agreed to sing backup. So, Any more? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melinda-doolittle-sang-background-who-else/414766/17 "2007-08-09T21:37:47Z")
I shamelessly bump my own thread before it falls to the nether regions of Page 2. Forgive me, but I’m surprised that the musicologists here aren’t coming up with more. So, any more?