Clydie King (Clydie May Crittendon, Dallas, Texas, August 21, 1943 - Januar… Read Full Bio ↴Clydie King (Clydie May Crittendon, Dallas, Texas, August 21, 1943 - January 7, 2019) was an American rhythm & blues and soul singer best known for her session work as a backing vocalist.
Discovered by songwriter Richard Berry, King began her recording career in 1956 with Little Clydie & the Teens, she was a member of Ray Charles' Raeletts for three years and contributed to early '60s recordings by producer Phil Spector. She recorded solo singles for Specialty Records, Kent Records and others.
King went on to become an in-demand session singer alongside Venetta Fields and Sherlie Matthews and record with The Rolling Stones, Steely Dan, Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, Dickey Betts and many others. She was a member of The Blackberries with Fields and Matthews and sang on Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour, which became a feature film.
In 1971 she was featured on the Beaver and Krause album Gandarva. She sang the lead vocal on the gospel-inflected "Walkin' By the River." Ray Brown played bass on the cut.
Along with Merry Clayton, she sang the background vocals on Lynyrd Skynyrd's seminal hit "Sweet Home Alabama".
Discography
Singles
1956 Little Clydie & The Teens: "A Casual Look" / "Oh Me" (RPM 462)
1957 Clydie King: "Our Romance" / "Written On The Wall" (Specialty 605)
1958 Clydie King: "I'm Invited To Your Party" / "Young Foolish Love" (Specialty 642)
1960 The Meadowlarks: "There's A Girl" / "Blue Mood" (Original Sound 12)
1961 The Meadowlarks: "It's Stompin' Time (Part 1)" / "It's Stompin' Time (Part 2)" (Interlude 101)
1962 Clydie King & The Sweet Things: "The Boys In My Life" / "Promises" (Philips 40001)
1962 Clydie King & Mel Carter: "Who Do You Love" / "The Wrong Side Of Town" (Philips 40049)
1962 Clydie King: "Turn Around" / "Don't Hang Up The Phone" (Philips 40051)
1963 Clydie King and The Sweet Things: "Only The Guilty Cry" / "By Now" (Philips 40107)
1965 Bonnie & The Treasures: "Home Of The Brave" / "Our Song" (Phi-Dan 5005)
1965 Clydie King: "The Thrill Is Gone" / "If You Were A Man" (Imperial 66109)
1965 Clydie King: "Missin' My Baby" / "My Love Grows Deeper" (Imperial 66139)
1966 Clydie King: "He Always Comes Back To Me" / "Soft and Gentle Ways" (Imperial 66172)
1967 Jimmy Holiday and Clydie King: "Ready, Willing and Able" / "We Got a Good Thing Goin'" (Minit 32021)
1967 Clydie King: "One Of Those Good For Cryin' Over You Days" / "My Mistakes Of Yesterday" (Minit 32025)
1967 Clydie King: "I'll Never Stop Loving You" / "Shing-A-Ling" (Minit 32032)
1969 Clydie King: "Love Now, Pay Later" / "One Part, Two Part" (Minit 32054)
1969 The Brothers and Sisters of Los Angeles: "The Mighty Quinn" / "Chimes of Freedom" (Ode 121)
1969 The Brothers and Sisters of Los Angeles: "The Times They Are A-Changin'" / "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Ode 123)
1970 "The Little Richard Band":Back up vocals recorded 1970 released 2015: www.TheLittleRichardBand.com
1970 Clydie King: "Never Like This Before" / "The Long and Winding Road" (Lizard 21005)
1971 Clydie King: "'Bout Love" / "First Time, Last Time" (Lizard 21007)
1972 Barry Goldberg & Clydie King: "Mockingbird"" / "Jackson Highway" (Reprise 1120)
1972 Brown Sugar: "Somebody Stronger" / "One Way Street Called Love" (Abkco 5001)
1972 The Blackberries: "Somebody Up There" / "But I Love Him" (Mowest 5020)
1973 The Blackberries: "Don't Change On Me" / "Twist and Shout" (A & M 1442)
1973 Brown Sugar: "Don't Hold Back" / "Loneliness (Will Bring Us Together Again)" (Bullet 711)
1973 Brown Sugar: "Don't Hold Back" / "Loneliness (Will Bring Us Together Again)" (Chelsea 78-0125)
1973 Brown Sugar: "Sugar, Didn't I" / "Moonlight and Taming You" (RCA APBO-0149)
1974 Clydie King & Brown Sugar: "Dance To The Music" / "Love Can Bring You Down" (RCA APBO-0239)
1974 The Blackberries: "Life Is Full Of Joy" / "Yesterday's Music" (A & M 1630)
1975 Clydie King: "Punish Me" / "Punish Me" (instrumental) (U.K. 2801)
Albums
1972 Clydie King: Direct Me (Lizard / Ampex Records, A-20104)
1973 Brown Sugar: Brown Sugar featuring Clydie King (Chelsea Records, BCL1-0368)
1976 Clydie King: Rushing to Meet You (Tiger Lily Records, TL 14037)
2007 Clydie King: The Imperial & Minit Years] (Stateside Records, 5099950958122)
As backing vocalist (selected)
The Little Richard Band: www.TheLittleRichardBand.com
Crabby Appleton: Rotten to the Core 1971
Madura: Madura II 1973
The Supremes: Nathan Jones 1971
Beaver and Krause: Walkin' By the River on Gandarva 1971
Dickey Betts: Atlanta's Burning Down 1978
Ray Charles: Love Country Style - King duetted with Charles on "Sweet Memories"
Ray Charles: It's a Blues Thing 1995 - King sang "Ode to Billie Joe"
Neil Diamond: Tap Root Manuscript 1970 - backing vocals to Childsong and Missa
Les Dudek: Say No More 1977 - King sang "Baby Sweet Baby"
Bob Dylan: Saved 1980, Shot of Love 1981, Infidels 1983, Biograph 1985, Down in the Groove 1988, The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991 1991, The Bootleg Series Vol. 13: Trouble No More 1979–1981 2017
Chuck Girard: Take It Easy 1979
Humble Pie: Eat It 1973
Elton John: Caribou 1974
B.B. King: Indianola Mississippi Seeds 1970 - Angelic Chorus on "Hummingbird"
Gary St.Clair: Self Titled 1971
Lynyrd Skynyrd: "Sweet Home Alabama" 1974[1]
Martha Reeves: Martha Reeves, Produced by Richard Perry 1974
The Rolling Stones: Exile on Main St. 1972
Linda Ronstadt: Don't Cry Now 1973, Heart Like A Wheel 1974
Diana Ross: Baby It's Me 1977
A Star is Born (soundtrack) 1976
Steely Dan: Can't Buy A Thrill 1972, The Royal Scam 1976, Aja 1977
Jean Terrell: I Had to Fall in Love 1978
Joe Walsh: The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get 1973
Discovered by songwriter Richard Berry, King began her recording career in 1956 with Little Clydie & the Teens, she was a member of Ray Charles' Raeletts for three years and contributed to early '60s recordings by producer Phil Spector. She recorded solo singles for Specialty Records, Kent Records and others.
King went on to become an in-demand session singer alongside Venetta Fields and Sherlie Matthews and record with The Rolling Stones, Steely Dan, Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, Dickey Betts and many others. She was a member of The Blackberries with Fields and Matthews and sang on Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour, which became a feature film.
In 1971 she was featured on the Beaver and Krause album Gandarva. She sang the lead vocal on the gospel-inflected "Walkin' By the River." Ray Brown played bass on the cut.
Along with Merry Clayton, she sang the background vocals on Lynyrd Skynyrd's seminal hit "Sweet Home Alabama".
Discography
Singles
1956 Little Clydie & The Teens: "A Casual Look" / "Oh Me" (RPM 462)
1957 Clydie King: "Our Romance" / "Written On The Wall" (Specialty 605)
1958 Clydie King: "I'm Invited To Your Party" / "Young Foolish Love" (Specialty 642)
1960 The Meadowlarks: "There's A Girl" / "Blue Mood" (Original Sound 12)
1961 The Meadowlarks: "It's Stompin' Time (Part 1)" / "It's Stompin' Time (Part 2)" (Interlude 101)
1962 Clydie King & The Sweet Things: "The Boys In My Life" / "Promises" (Philips 40001)
1962 Clydie King & Mel Carter: "Who Do You Love" / "The Wrong Side Of Town" (Philips 40049)
1962 Clydie King: "Turn Around" / "Don't Hang Up The Phone" (Philips 40051)
1963 Clydie King and The Sweet Things: "Only The Guilty Cry" / "By Now" (Philips 40107)
1965 Bonnie & The Treasures: "Home Of The Brave" / "Our Song" (Phi-Dan 5005)
1965 Clydie King: "The Thrill Is Gone" / "If You Were A Man" (Imperial 66109)
1965 Clydie King: "Missin' My Baby" / "My Love Grows Deeper" (Imperial 66139)
1966 Clydie King: "He Always Comes Back To Me" / "Soft and Gentle Ways" (Imperial 66172)
1967 Jimmy Holiday and Clydie King: "Ready, Willing and Able" / "We Got a Good Thing Goin'" (Minit 32021)
1967 Clydie King: "One Of Those Good For Cryin' Over You Days" / "My Mistakes Of Yesterday" (Minit 32025)
1967 Clydie King: "I'll Never Stop Loving You" / "Shing-A-Ling" (Minit 32032)
1969 Clydie King: "Love Now, Pay Later" / "One Part, Two Part" (Minit 32054)
1969 The Brothers and Sisters of Los Angeles: "The Mighty Quinn" / "Chimes of Freedom" (Ode 121)
1969 The Brothers and Sisters of Los Angeles: "The Times They Are A-Changin'" / "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Ode 123)
1970 "The Little Richard Band":Back up vocals recorded 1970 released 2015: www.TheLittleRichardBand.com
1970 Clydie King: "Never Like This Before" / "The Long and Winding Road" (Lizard 21005)
1971 Clydie King: "'Bout Love" / "First Time, Last Time" (Lizard 21007)
1972 Barry Goldberg & Clydie King: "Mockingbird"" / "Jackson Highway" (Reprise 1120)
1972 Brown Sugar: "Somebody Stronger" / "One Way Street Called Love" (Abkco 5001)
1972 The Blackberries: "Somebody Up There" / "But I Love Him" (Mowest 5020)
1973 The Blackberries: "Don't Change On Me" / "Twist and Shout" (A & M 1442)
1973 Brown Sugar: "Don't Hold Back" / "Loneliness (Will Bring Us Together Again)" (Bullet 711)
1973 Brown Sugar: "Don't Hold Back" / "Loneliness (Will Bring Us Together Again)" (Chelsea 78-0125)
1973 Brown Sugar: "Sugar, Didn't I" / "Moonlight and Taming You" (RCA APBO-0149)
1974 Clydie King & Brown Sugar: "Dance To The Music" / "Love Can Bring You Down" (RCA APBO-0239)
1974 The Blackberries: "Life Is Full Of Joy" / "Yesterday's Music" (A & M 1630)
1975 Clydie King: "Punish Me" / "Punish Me" (instrumental) (U.K. 2801)
Albums
1972 Clydie King: Direct Me (Lizard / Ampex Records, A-20104)
1973 Brown Sugar: Brown Sugar featuring Clydie King (Chelsea Records, BCL1-0368)
1976 Clydie King: Rushing to Meet You (Tiger Lily Records, TL 14037)
2007 Clydie King: The Imperial & Minit Years] (Stateside Records, 5099950958122)
As backing vocalist (selected)
The Little Richard Band: www.TheLittleRichardBand.com
Crabby Appleton: Rotten to the Core 1971
Madura: Madura II 1973
The Supremes: Nathan Jones 1971
Beaver and Krause: Walkin' By the River on Gandarva 1971
Dickey Betts: Atlanta's Burning Down 1978
Ray Charles: Love Country Style - King duetted with Charles on "Sweet Memories"
Ray Charles: It's a Blues Thing 1995 - King sang "Ode to Billie Joe"
Neil Diamond: Tap Root Manuscript 1970 - backing vocals to Childsong and Missa
Les Dudek: Say No More 1977 - King sang "Baby Sweet Baby"
Bob Dylan: Saved 1980, Shot of Love 1981, Infidels 1983, Biograph 1985, Down in the Groove 1988, The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991 1991, The Bootleg Series Vol. 13: Trouble No More 1979–1981 2017
Chuck Girard: Take It Easy 1979
Humble Pie: Eat It 1973
Elton John: Caribou 1974
B.B. King: Indianola Mississippi Seeds 1970 - Angelic Chorus on "Hummingbird"
Gary St.Clair: Self Titled 1971
Lynyrd Skynyrd: "Sweet Home Alabama" 1974[1]
Martha Reeves: Martha Reeves, Produced by Richard Perry 1974
The Rolling Stones: Exile on Main St. 1972
Linda Ronstadt: Don't Cry Now 1973, Heart Like A Wheel 1974
Diana Ross: Baby It's Me 1977
A Star is Born (soundtrack) 1976
Steely Dan: Can't Buy A Thrill 1972, The Royal Scam 1976, Aja 1977
Jean Terrell: I Had to Fall in Love 1978
Joe Walsh: The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get 1973
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The Imperial and Minit Years
Clydie King Lyrics
Something To Remember You By Come on over here and turn The lights down low Give me…