Product DescriptionThe Gert Town area of New Orleans has a rich musical history; it's also the birthplace of one Merry "Baby Sister" Clayton. The daughter of a Baptist minister, Clayton began her recording career in the early 1960s, backing pop star Bobby Darin on "You're The Reason I'm Living." She made her first solo recording the following year, cutting the track "The Doorbell Rings." That same year, she cut a version of "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)" that failed to chart for her, though it later did for Betty Everett, Kate Taylor, and Cher.
In the late Sixties, she joined Ray Charles' Raelettes, but it was her work on "Gimme Shelter" from the Rolling Stones' Let It Bleed album that brought her to rock audiences' consciousness. Moving to Los Angeles in the early Fifties, she carved out a significant career as a backup singer, recording with Joe Cocker, Lee Michaels, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Phil Ochs, and many others. During this time, she also enjoyed several R & B solo hits, including "After All This Time" and "Oh No, Not My Baby."
Signed in 1979 to MCA, she cut the Emotion album, which was released early in 1980. Regarded by many of her fans to be her finest album, Emotion covers a lot of musical territory, from the Eagles' "Wasted Time" to an ambitious Sly and the Family Stone medley. The album was produced by Steve Tyrell (way before he became a solo artist in his own right).