“Twenty Feet from Stardom” – the movie. I saw this wonderful
film at the Angelika Film Center at Houston and Mercer in the Village last night. This film has it all… all the magic buttons including glamour, beauty, drama, mean-nasty dishonest producers and promoters, heartbreak, disappointments, awesome talent, great music, and the eventual triumph against long odds… and just in case I didn’t stress it enough, awesome talent and great music!
“Twenty Feet from Stardom” is a film about the real lives and careers of the (predominantly Black women) back-up singers who we have been hearing as anonymous voices for years on all of the pop and rock music recordings since the early sixties in the United States. These singer/dancers exist in the netherworld between the big star attraction and the band. They belong to both and yet they
belong to neither. They are the background…the fill…yet they both frame and animate the picture. They contribute mightily to the musical sound and to the visual pageantry…yet they are never identified either before or after the performance. We don’t know their names.
“Twenty Feet From Stardom” names them. This movie gives them a face.. and an individual voice. This film features the individual musical careers of Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Judith Hill, Tata Vega, Jo Lowry, and Claudia Lenear. We hear their individual solo voices … the angelic tone and otherworldly power. I mean these ladies can SING!!
Darlene Love spent several years in the early sixites recording as a back-up singer for Phil Spector’s productions. Ultra-
talented, independent and secure enough to fight back when mistreated. When she found Phil Spector cheating she once walked out of the studio leaving an executed contract on the table. She eventually successfully sued Phil Spector to recover some of the royalties owed to her. She toured with Elvis Presley, sang back-up with, Sam Cooke, Cher and Aretha Franklin. She worked as back-up singer with Dionne Warwick for ten years. Darlene Love played Danny Glover’s wife in the Lethal Weapons movies and has recently been inducted into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame.
Born on Christmas Day in New Orleans Merry Clayton’s voice is heard on many pop and rock songs of the sixties. Her singing career began at the age of thirteen when she sang a duet with
Bobby Darren on “Who can I Turn To”. She is best known for the duet with Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stone’s hit Gimmie Shelter. Merry Clayton has toured with Ray Charles as one of the Raylettes, been back-up singer for Joe Cocker, Tom Jones and Carole King. She has been back-up for Pearl Bailey, Phil Ochs, Burt Bacharach, and Neil Young. Merry Clayton originated the role of the Acid Queen in the original London production of “The Who’s Tommy”. Merry Clayton co-starred with Ally Sheedy in the 1987 film Maid to Order. In film Merry Clayton sang “You’re Always There When I Need You,” the title song for the first Get Smart movie The Nude Bomb which starred Don Adams. Merry Clayton sang the song “Yes” in Dirty Dancing. Merry Clayton recorded back-up vocals for and sang the infamous ‘Man with the Golden Gun’ bridge on Tori Amos‘ hit, “Cornflake Girl“. Merry Clayton, this proverbial ‘strong Black woman’ is a diva in the best sense of the word.
Lisa Fischer is considered to be one of the most successful session vocalists of the era. Lisa began her career working as back-up singer with Melba Moore, and Billy Ocean. She later
toured as back-up singer for Luther Vandross until his death. She has toured with Tina Turner including the Twenty Four Seven Tour, Chaka Khan, Teddy Pendergrass, and Roberta Flack. Lisa Fischer earned a Grammy for her hit single How Can I Ease the Pain in 1991. Lisa Fischer has accompanied The Rolling Stones on every tour since 1989! Lisa Fischer – Likable, Lovable, and a very intensely focused entertainer ‘par exellence’.
Judith Hill, the daughter of professional musicians, wrote her first song at 4 years old. She has sung back-up for Michael Jackson, Rod Stewart, Josh Grobin, Stevie Wonder and Elton
John. Judith Hill wrote music for Spike Lee’s film Red Hook Summer and was and outstanding contestant on The Voice. Judith Hill is perhaps best know as Michael Jackson’s choice as a duet partner for his ‘This is It’! tour. Michael Jackson unfortunately died before the tour started. Judith Hill sang the tribute at Michael Jackson’s memorial in Los Angeles. Judith Hill is ‘up and coming’ in a very complex world…bouncing back from a big disappointment.
Tata Vega has worked as back-up singer with Stevie Wonder,
Andre Crouch, Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson, Ray Charles, and Madonna. Tata Vega sang lead on the Oscar nominated song for the movie The Color Purple.
Claudia Lennear worked with many acts including Ike and Tina Turner, Humble Pie and Joe Cocker. She was part of a trio of backup singers for Delaney and Bonnie, that also included Rita Coolidge. Claudia Lennear’s meetings with Mick Jagger and David Bowie are often cited as inspiration for The Rolling Stones‘ “Brown Sugar“ and Bowie’s “Lady Grinning Soul“. Claudia Lennear was one of Leon Russell‘s Shelter People. She sang back-up vocals on Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour and live album, on Leon Russell and the Shelter People, and on George Harrison‘s The Concert for Bangla Desh. Claudia Lennear had
a bit part in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. Claudia Lennear appeared in the August 1974 issue of Playboy magazine in a pictorial titled “Brown Sugar”. Claudia Lennear left the music industry to become a spanish teacher.
These women are among the better known back-up singers in the industry but they are representative of a very large and largely hidden group of immensely talented people who make the entertainment industry work. They are essentially free lancers in that they may or may not get a call on a given night to perform with Mick Jagger, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder or any of the major acts in the business either for studio work at recording sessions or for concerts and tours…but when they are called they complete the scene and the sound at virtually every rock concert or studio recording made.
They have given us so much happiness and joy over the years with almost no recognition…and now “Twenty Feet from Stardom” has identified them to us and given us their names and the wonderful sound of their individual voices!!
Director Morgan Neville has done a beautiful job of telling the real life story of these beautiful and very talented singer/dancers, who rarely get individual exposure, appreciation, or acclaim. The
commentary by Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Mick Jagger, Sting, Luther Vandross and the other giants in the industry. This film sheds real light on the way the industry stars appreciate the talent and the work of the back-up singer/dancers thus showing a very human and otherwise unseen side of these superstar artists.
The film is a great window into the lives of all the back-up singers and dancers who work incredibly hard for relatively little money to make musical productions work magnificently. To a larger point this film depicts a fantastic group of women each of whom make an excellent role model for depiction of real world character, strength, resilience, and the ability to deal with the realities that life presents to all of us!
