“Gimme Shelter” (Merry Clayton) #73 7/18/1970

Merry Clayton was known as a first-rate backing singer and provided the all-out female voice on the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.” She decided to do a laid-back version of the song herself. Good thing it was a little more mellow; Merry reportedly sang so forcefully she had a miscarriage after her appearance on the Stones record. In a few years she would be featured on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama.”