Yoko Ono Claims She Is The Female Vocalist On Stones Gimme Shelter

In a rare interview, Yoko Ono told Madhouse News that she is indeed the female singer delivering those blistering vocals on The Rolling Stones 1969 classic song, Gimme Shelter. 

Most people credit session singer Merry Clayton as the singer delivering the fire starting vocal on the song, but Yoko sets the record straight. “John and I were hanging around the studio watching The Stones record the Let it Bleed album” said Yoko. “When they got to Gimme Shelter, they said wouldn’t it be great to have a girl come do the chorus. Actually he said bird. Mick called Bonnie Bramlett first, but her husband Delaney refused to let her anywhere near Mick Jagger. He was afraid Mick would bang her. So Mick called Merry Clayton in the middle of the night and she showed up to the studio in her curlers.”

Trash

Yoko continued, “So Merry performed her parts in a few takes and Mick and the boys seemed really pleased. I interjected that her singing was trash and I took the tapes and threw them in the garbage. If you want to hear some good singing listen to this. I then proceeded to lay down the blistering vocals that are on the record in one take. That’s when I dropped the mic and everyone sat there with their mouths hanging open.”

“It’s true” said Mick Jagger. “Yoko knocked it out of the park in one take. She floored us all and did a great job. In the isolated vocal track, you can hear everyone in the studio shouting in amazement. Grown men were weeping. As a joke Yoko told us to credit the vocals to Mary Clayton.”

Yoko may be part of one of the greatest songs ever recorded, However, the song’s creation also had a traumatic impact on her life. Her vocal performance was so strenuous, it caused permanent damage to her vocal cords. “I sang like a fookin angel prior to that” said Yoko. “You hear what my voice sounded like after that. It was tragic. I know I sound like someone stepping on a cat now, but in 1969 I had the best voice in the business.”

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