Dolly Parton provided backing vocals for Eric Clapton’s Lay Down Sally, and Steven Tyler pitched in on Run DMC’s cover of Walk This Way.
There’s always been a rumor that porn star Ron Jeremy is in some of the backing choruses of the movie “Jesus Christ Superstar”
Timothy B. Schmid backs up Vince Gill on Gill’s cover of “I Can’t Tell You Why.”
Patty Lovelass & Ricky Skaggs sang back up on Gill’s “Go Rest High on The Mountain.”
Don Henley backed Trisha Yearwood on “Walkaway Joe.”
I came in here to mention Rockwell.
Damn.
Not that strange, Hoon and Axl Rose are from Layfayette Indiana and are only 5 years different in age.
New Kids on the Block sang backup for Tommy Page in “I’ll Be Your Everything.”
Mariah Carey used to be a backup singer for Brenda K. Starr.
George Michael sang backup for Deon Estus in “Heaven Help Me.”
John Lennon sang backup on David Bowie’s “Fame”.
According to Hoon’s Wiki entry:
“In L.A., Hoon befriended his sister Anna’s high school friend, Axl Rose” So there you go, not too weird at all.
“Lion In The Winter” by Hoyt Axton (a great song, by the way) had Linda Ronstat on backing vocals.
Okay, here’s a really obscure one: in the 1982 song by Frida (formerly of the group ABBA), “I Know There’s Something Going On,” Phil Collins plays drums and sings backup. You can single out his voice if you listen closely.
Doesn’t Bowie do some of the backing vocals for Mott The Hoople’s All the Young Dudes?
Luther Vandross sang backup on David Bowie’s Young Americans. It was his big break.
A couple of the Beach Boys are very noticeable on Chicago’s “Wishin you Were Here”.
Leonard Cohen’s “Don’t Go Home with Your Hard-On” has Bob Dylan (and Allen Ginsburg) in the chorus.
Sting on Dire Straits’ “Money For Nothing.”
Ray Charles duetted with Billy Joel on “Baby Grand.”
Tom Petty’s “Full Moon Fever” album had vocals from some of his fellow Traveling Wilburys: George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, and Roy Orbison. This album has often been referred to as “Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 2” because of this.
John Lennon & Paul McCartney sing backup on the Rolling Stones’ “We Love You.”
Tina Turner with the Ikettes sing backup on several Frank Zappa songs on the Over-Nite Sensation and Apostrophe albums.
Neil Young’s 1995 album Mirrorball features Pearl Jam as backup band, with Eddie Vedder providing some vocals.
Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is” featured Jennifer Holliday (of the original Dreamgirls fame) singing back vocals.
Dolly also backed Faith Hill on ‘Breathe’. You can hear her best in the line, “In a way I know my heart is waking up…”