# Trivia: Backup Singers **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 16, 2001, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-backup-singers/65590 "2001-05-16T12:06:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2001, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-backup-singers/65590/1 "2001-05-16T12:06:56Z")
Motley Crue had the Nasty Habits Bob Marley had the I-Threes What was the name of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s backup singers? I think at least one of them was related to somebody in the band. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2001, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-backup-singers/65590/2 "2001-05-16T13:32:11Z")
Over the years how many different people have been members of Skynyrd? Twenty – Ronnie VanZant, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Ed King, Billy Powell, Larry Junstrom, Leon Wilkeson, Bob Burns, Artimus Pyle, Steve Gaines, Rickey Medlocke, Custer, Hughie Thomasson, Randall Hall, Johnny VanZant, Mike Estes, Owen Hale, Jeff MacCallister, Michael Cartellone and Ean Evans. There have been eight backup singers – Cassie Gaines, Leslie Hawkins, JoJo Billingsley, Dale Krantz Rossington, Carol Bristow, Debbie Bailey, Debbie Davis, and Carol Chase. [http://www.lynyrdskynyrd.com/faq9.html](http://www.lynyrdskynyrd.com/faq9.html) ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2001, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-backup-singers/65590/3 "2001-05-16T13:48:49Z")
Cyndi Lauper had The Hooters as her backup band. In fact, they co-wrote “Time After Time” together. I actually like The Hooters version better. ---
**Author:** ![mongrel\_8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@mongrel\_8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mongrel_8)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2001, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-backup-singers/65590/4 "2001-05-16T14:51:44Z")
Sheryl Crow was a back-up singer at one time for Michael Jackson. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2001, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-backup-singers/65590/5 "2001-05-16T16:45:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Reeder \* > \*\*Over the years how many different people have been members of Skynyrd? > > Twenty – Ronnie VanZant, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Ed King, Billy Powell, > Larry Junstrom, Leon Wilkeson, Bob Burns, Artimus Pyle, Steve Gaines, Rickey > Medlocke, Custer, Hughie Thomasson, Randall Hall, Johnny VanZant, Mike Estes, > Owen Hale, Jeff MacCallister, Michael Cartellone and Ean Evans. There have been > eight backup singers – Cassie Gaines, Leslie Hawkins, JoJo Billingsley, Dale > Krantz Rossington, Carol Bristow, Debbie Bailey, Debbie Davis, and Carol Chase. > [http://www.lynyrdskynyrd.com/faq9.html](http://www.lynyrdskynyrd.com/faq9.html) \*\* Reeder: And Ed King was originally in the Strawberry Alarm Clock of “Incense and Peppermints” fame. But what did Skynyrd call their “chick singers”? ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2001, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-backup-singers/65590/6 "2001-05-16T19:07:11Z")
Bette Midler had Katey Segal(Peg from Married with Children) as a backup singer in the 70s. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2001, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-backup-singers/65590/7 "2001-05-16T19:24:38Z")
The Beach Boys did the backing vocals on Elton John’s _Don’t Let the Sun…_ ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2001, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-backup-singers/65590/8 "2001-05-16T19:30:57Z")
David Bowie was a backing singer for Lou Reed, although I assume this was a favour for a mate. ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2001, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-backup-singers/65590/9 "2001-05-16T19:46:28Z")
My bit of backup singer trivia. Barry Manilow’s backup singers are Lady Flash. They used to joke that they were the Trash with Flash. They had an album out in the Eighties called Street Singing. Pretty good. As for the OP’s question on LS backup singers, I have no idea. I can’t recall ever hearing them called anything special. ---
**Author:** ![Xploder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a183cd/32.png) [@Xploder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xploder)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2001, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-backup-singers/65590/10 "2001-05-16T21:50:25Z")
Frank Zappa, at one time, had Mar Volman and Howard Kaylin, alias Flo & Eddie, alias The Turtles. I even have a CD with Zappa and them doing Happt Together…talk about strangeness… ---
**Author:** ![stofsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@stofsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stofsky)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2001, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-backup-singers/65590/11 "2001-05-16T23:58:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mongrel\_8 \* > \*\*Sheryl Crow was a back-up singer at one time for Michael Jackson. \*\* And for Eric Clapton IIRC (or he recorded one of her songs; I can’t remember which). And Yvonne Elliman was one of Clapton’s BU singers in the 70s, and went on to record such disco gems as “If I Can’t Have You (I Don’t Want Nobody Baby)” and performed as Mary Magdalene in “Jesus Christ, Superstar.” Hell, I was just doing a search for Sheryl Crow on CDNow… she’s sung backup for a lot of big stars… ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Griffin-Kentzel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_griffin-kentzel/32/14787_2.png) [@Larry\_Griffin-Kentzel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Griffin-Kentzel)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2001, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-backup-singers/65590/12 "2001-05-17T08:00:37Z")
Bette Midler had the Harlettes. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2001, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-backup-singers/65590/13 "2001-05-17T08:03:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cajun Man \* > \*\*Bette Midler had the Harlettes. > \*\* And Katey Sagal was a Harlette. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Griffin-Kentzel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_griffin-kentzel/32/14787_2.png) [@Larry\_Griffin-Kentzel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Griffin-Kentzel)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2001, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-backup-singers/65590/14 "2001-05-17T08:05:51Z")
Indeed she was. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2001, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-backup-singers/65590/15 "2001-05-17T12:15:07Z")
If you can get a copy of Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary Tribute Concert on video you’ll find Sheryl Crow adding lots of “ooohhhhs” and “aaaahhhs” as one of the background singers. T Donna Jean Godchaux, former member of the Grateful Dead (she handled what Bob Weir so galantly called “the chick vocals”)sang backup on tons of songs, including “When A Man Loves a Woman,” by Percy Sledge, “Suspicious Minds,” by The King (thank you, thank you very much), and all of Boz Scaggs first album (please get this album if you haven’t heard it - its is an absolute masterpiece). ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2001, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-backup-singers/65590/16 "2001-05-17T12:24:16Z")
The trio of ladies who sang backup for Parliament/Funkadelic in the 1970s cut their own albums under the name **The Brides of Funkenstein.** ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2001, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-backup-singers/65590/17 "2001-05-17T12:31:11Z")
Ike and Tina Turner had the Ikettes, who had great choreography circa “Proud Mary.” And I believe at one time Ray Charles had the Raylettes. Then of course, Bette Midler had the Harlettes. Anybody see a pattern here? By the way, Elvis fans will get a kick out of [this site](http://greggers.granitecity.com/elvis/faq/baksingr.htm) which gives a comprehensive list of his backup singers with dates. All I could remember were the Jordinaires, but the site documents recordings the King made with The Blossoms, The Amigos, The Carole Lombard Quartet, The Jubilee Four and others. Well worth your time,