# Performer sang/played backup on cover of his/her song **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 29, 2020, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performer-sang-played-backup-on-cover-of-his-her-song/847148 "2020-01-29T02:59:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2020, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performer-sang-played-backup-on-cover-of-his-her-song/847148/41 "2020-01-31T19:24:23Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > Are there any reputable cites for Manzarek playing keyboards on that cover? I was looking at that earlier and although it is claimed all over the internet, I couldn’t find any claims that seemed reputable. This was one of those things most DJs would mention back when the song was new. And I’m sure about the same time I read it in either Rolling Stone or Calendar or something announcing the song. But, you’re right. Strangely, I can’t find an explicit cite. I dug out the CD booklet for my Echo greatest hits compilation, which doesn’t have any information on additional musicians, but does call out Manzarek as the producer on that track. Manzarek’s website mentions “collaborating” with E&TB, but no details as to the nature of the collaboration. Another hint is [this concert review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-09-15-ca-8043-story.html) from 1987 that indicates Manzarek joined them on stage for “three Doors numbers”. Manzarek’s[obituary in Rolling Stone](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ray-manzarek-doors-keyboardist-dead-at-74-189116/) mentions “playing” with E&TB. Now I’m intrigued. Is this one of those “common knowledge” things that’s actually wrong? He is explicitly credited with playing on another song from the same time period, “Bedbugs & Ballyhoo”; maybe the two got conflated? ---
**Author:** ![erpa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e56c9b/32.png) [@erpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erpa)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performer-sang-played-backup-on-cover-of-his-her-song/847148/42 "2020-02-02T04:33:49Z")
Neil Young sang backing vocals for Emmylou Harris on her version of his Wrecking Ball. That was the title track of her 1995 album. Well worth a listen. ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performer-sang-played-backup-on-cover-of-his-her-song/847148/43 "2021-02-02T14:21:52Z")
“Someday We’ll Be Together” (1969) was the last hit of Diana Ross and the Supremes. Johnny Bristol had co-written and performed the original version eight years earlier. For the Supremes’ version, Bristol went into the recording studio to show Diana Ross how best to vocalize the song. He ended up ad-libbing a kind of call-and-response as she sang. An engineer accidentally recorded Bristol’s voice with Ross’s, and those in the control room liked it so much they left Bristol in the mix. He comes in toward the end of the song. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HXGz8i0I2L0/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AG-AoAC8AGKAgwIABABGGIgZShWMA8=&rs=AOn4CLBYgqin0fJAPKVJyVsKOUzXtZolWA "Diana Ross & The Supremes - Someday We'll Be Together") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXGz8i0I2L0) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performer-sang-played-backup-on-cover-of-his-her-song/847148/44 "2021-02-02T14:45:25Z")
**Richard Thompson** plays guitar on **Bonnie Raitt’s** cover of his “Dimming of the Day”. ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performer-sang-played-backup-on-cover-of-his-her-song/847148/45 "2021-02-02T14:53:23Z")
Lulu had a hit single in 1974 with The Man Who Sold The World, featuring Bowie himself for backing vocals. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performer-sang-played-backup-on-cover-of-his-her-song/847148/46 "2021-02-02T16:34:02Z")
Good lord, I would not have recognized her… ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performer-sang-played-backup-on-cover-of-his-her-song/847148/47 "2021-02-02T16:52:29Z")
In 1999, Jimmy Page teamed up with the Black Crowes on a two-night performance of mostly Zep covers and a few old blues tunes which resulted in a double album “Live at the Greek”. > **[Live at the Greek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_at_the_Greek)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > Live at the Greek: Excess All Areas is a double live album by Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes, released by musicmaker.com on 29 February 2000 and reissued by TVT Records on 4 July 2000. > In October 1999, Page teamed up with the Crowes for a two-night performance of material from the Led Zeppelin catalogue and old blues and rock standards. "I didn't really have that much fun doing it," grumbled singer Chris Robinson. "It was alright, and Jimmy's... ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performer-sang-played-backup-on-cover-of-his-her-song/847148/48 "2021-02-02T21:51:10Z")
John Lennon sang backing vocals on Jimi Hendrix’s version of “Day Tripper”. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performer-sang-played-backup-on-cover-of-his-her-song/847148/49 "2021-02-02T22:15:03Z")
Not backup, but Steven Tyler and Joe Perry played/sang on Run DMC’s version of Walk This Way. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performer-sang-played-backup-on-cover-of-his-her-song/847148/50 "2021-02-02T22:50:22Z")
Cheech Marin did the vocals for Korn’s cover of _Earache My Eye_ back in 1999. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/edCQxYzQqhU/hqdefault.jpg "Korn- Earache My Eye") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edCQxYzQqhU) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2021, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performer-sang-played-backup-on-cover-of-his-her-song/847148/51 "2021-02-03T13:32:30Z")
Jimmy Page also played on the Puff Daddy cover of Kashmir There is a recording of the Foo Fighters covering _Ramble On_ & _Rock and Roll_ on the Live at Wembley Stadium DVD. Page & John Paul Jones played with them. Of course there was the awesome _No Quarter Tour_ for Page & Plant, but that hardly counts. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2021, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performer-sang-played-backup-on-cover-of-his-her-song/847148/52 "2021-02-03T13:44:02Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > Echo & the Bunnymen’s cover of **People Are Strange**. Tangential sad fact: until I was well into my 30s, that was the only version of that song I knew. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/performer-sang-played-backup-on-cover-of-his-her-song/847148.md?page=2)