# Songs with very famous backup singers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 24, 2008, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861 "2008-01-24T20:37:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![BluePear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@BluePear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePear)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861/161 "2012-06-11T05:31:01Z")
Michael Jackson is one of the background vocalists on Stevie Wonder’s “All I Do” La Toya and Janet Jackson are two fo the background vocals on Michael’s P.Y.T. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861/162 "2012-06-11T05:39:43Z")
Well, now that this thread is back up again, Thelma Hopkins of Tony Orlando and Dawn sang backup on Isaac Hayes’ Oscar-winning recording _Theme From “Shaft”_. “They say this cat Shaft’s a bad mutha…” “Shut yo’ mouth!” ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861/163 "2012-06-11T09:07:59Z")
_E-Bow the Letter_ by R.E.M. features backing vocals from Patti Smith. Several Warren Zevon songs have background vocals from members of Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne. ---
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861/164 "2012-06-11T12:43:59Z")
Swiss hard rock/heavy metal band Krokus had Rob Halford from Judas Priest singing backup vocals on their 1983 album _Headhunter_. ---
**Author:** ![Jumpbass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jumpbass/32/147_2.png) [@Jumpbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jumpbass)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861/165 "2012-06-11T22:41:09Z")
Chaka Khan (again) was a singer in the choir In the Blues Brothers movie, backing up James Brown. I think she’s actually listed as “soloist”. There’s a very quick glimpse of her in the film. ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861/166 "2012-06-11T22:47:12Z")
Not a singer but when I saw The JB’s and James Brown play in 2000, when the JB’s and Maceo Parker player their sets, Mr Dynamite himself came out and played keyboards on some of their songs. ---
**Author:** ![Satellite\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Satellite\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satellite_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861/167 "2012-06-12T04:46:47Z")
[Moonlight Desires](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ytffbu2yWk), by Gowan, features Jon Anderson, of Yes, on backing vocals. A bit more prominent at 2:41, in the bridge. ---
**Author:** ![richbeat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4bbf92/32.png) [@richbeat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/richbeat)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861/168 "2012-08-05T22:05:56Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Nope, it was McCartney. BTW, Donovan’s ‘Sunshine Superman’ has John Paul Jones on bass and Jimmy Page on guitar (both from Led Zep, natch). NOT! Listen again, it IS OBVIOUSLY Donovan. Not even close. But McCartney is on the song. He’s doing the whooping and hollering during the instrumental break and again at the end of the song. McCartney is most obvious on the instrumental break where at one point in the background he goes “Yelllloooooowwwww.” For years I’ve heard radio DJ’s spread this false fact. I blame them. ---
**Author:** ![richbeat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4bbf92/32.png) [@richbeat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/richbeat)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861/169 "2012-08-05T23:01:48Z")
Members of the Supremes sing backup on Marvin Gaye’s “Can I Get A Witness?” ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861/170 "2012-08-06T00:26:26Z")
This is the best thread I ever started. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861/171 "2012-08-06T00:59:11Z")
Alice Cooper’s Billion Dollar Babies, the original, the studio version…Yes, that’s Donovan singing the backup. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86-XrU8sh60) ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861/172 "2012-08-06T02:58:06Z")
Harvey Fuqua, one time member and lead singer of the Moonglows was the backup singer on the Supreme’s “Someday We’ll Be Together.” ---
**Author:** ![HankChapman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c67d28/32.png) [@HankChapman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HankChapman)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861/173 "2015-11-22T03:24:10Z")
Kate Pierson singing backup vocals on REM’s Shiny Happy People is always my favorite ---
**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:** [November 22, 2015, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861/174 "2015-11-22T07:36:00Z")
I’m glad this thread was revived, it’s a fun read. It’s easy to see why many people think Dolly Parton sings on _Lay Down Sally_. Marcy Levy sounds a lot like her, on that track at least. Some of the examples seem so obvious, once you know (Adam Duritz on _Sixth Avenue Heartache_, for instance). I must have heard that song a hundred times without noticing. :smack: And to add one: Chrissie Hynde sings back up on U2’s _Pride (In the name of love)._ ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861/175 "2015-11-22T19:45:33Z")
If someone makes a huge infographic/family tree of Who Played On What, I’ll buy a wall-sized poster. You’d have little enclaves of friends all interconnected, like the Laurel Canyon area folk-rockers Crosby, Stills, Browne, Mitchell, Nicks, Zevon & Nash. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861/176 "2015-11-22T21:59:48Z")
Steve Miller’s “My Dark Hour” features Paul “Ramon” McCartney on backup vocals, drums, bass and guitar. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861/177 "2015-11-23T00:37:47Z")
Barry Gibb sings backup on " **Emotion"** by Samantha Sang. He wrote the song for her and in fact his vocals are prominent on the chorus. That distinct Barry Gibb voice is unmistakable. I wonder if it was a mistake for his vocals to overtake Samantha’s when singing the chorus or if that was the plan. Anyways Gibb is not credited in the song’s title which understandable as it was not meant to be a duet. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861/178 "2015-11-23T01:29:41Z")
To be exact, Barry and Robin cowrote the song. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861/179 "2015-11-25T19:31:01Z")
[Stevie Nicks - Sorcerer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLccvrNZUn4) (with Sheryl Crow) Originally a pre-Fleetwood Mac [Buckingham Nicks song.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8i-JmxF2E4) ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861/180 "2015-11-25T20:06:37Z")
Old thread so I’m not sure if this was posted, but Graham Parker’s **Endless Night** features Bruce Springsteen on backups. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-very-famous-backup-singers/434861.md?page=10)