Thursday 12 September 2019

Judy Clay born 12 September 1938


Judy Clay (September 12, 1938 – July 19, 2001) was an American soul and gospel singer, who achieved greatest success as a member of two recording duos in the 1960s.

Judy was born Judith Grace Guions in St Paul, North Carolina, and soon moved to Fayetteville, where she was raised by her grandmother. She started singing in church as a small child. Moving to Brookyn in the early 1950s, she continued her church singing, indeed her choir featured on Sunday night radio.

By her early teens, she had been adopted by Lee Drinkard, of the famous gospel group, the Drinkard Singers. Lee was Cissy Houston's sister and Dionne Warwick's mother - and Judy was soon involved in the group with them, as well as with Dionne's sister Delia, Dee Dee Warwick.

The Drinkard Singers  (who later became better known as The Sweet Inspirations)- released three albums in the 1950s which featured Judy - the Newport Spiritual Stars record in 1954, a live album from the Newport jazz festival and a 1958 studio LP. Judy's voice could raise the roof and stir the soul.

She left the Drinkard Singers in 1960 and made her first solo recording, "More Than You Know", on Ember Records. "Do You Think That's Right" appeared the following year, and while both captured soul music at its most visceral and poignant, neither record caught on at radio or retail, a pattern Clay proved unable to shake for the majority of her career. In 1963, she signed to the Lavette label, teaming with Little Lee for the duet "Everyday Since You've Been Gone," the first of many such collaborations spread across her discography.

This was followed by further singles on Scepter and Stax but with little commercial success, although "You Busted My Mind" later became successful on the UK's Northern soul nightclub circuit.


                                

In 1967, Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records teamed her up with white singer-songwriter Billy Vera to make the United States' first racially integrated duo, and The Sweet Inspirations, to record "Storybook Children”. The record made #20 on the US R&B chart and #54 pop. It was seen as the first interracial duo recording for a major label.

However, Vera has stated that television executives denied them appearances together, believing (wrongly) that Vera and Clay were more than just singing partners, and, to add insult to injury, had the song performed on network TV by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood. Judy was pregnant, at the time, with her first child by her husband, jazz drummer Leo Gatewood.

After another hit duet with Vera, "Country Girl, City Man", which reached #41 R&B and #36 pop, and an album together, she returned to Stax Records. There she had further successes, this time with William Bell. Their recording of "Private Number" reached #17 in the R&B chart and #75 on the U.S. pop chart, and had greater 

success in the UK where it reached #8 on the UK Singles Chart.
A follow-up, "My Baby Specializes", also made the R&B chart, before she returned to Atlantic for one more record with Vera, "Reaching For The Moon" and a final solo hit "Greatest Love" (# 45 R&B in 1970).

Subsequently, she worked as a backing vocalist with Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison, Donny Hathaway and Wilson Pickett. Whenever the Sweet Inspirations needed a temporary replacement Judy was on hand and she also toured South Africa and Liberia with Ray Charles and his Orchestra. She made a fleeting return to the record world in 1979 with "Stayin' Alive", cut live for the small Newark, New Jersey-based LA-DCP label. Ill health then set in.

Judy Clay, Dionne Warwick & Mabel John
Stricken with a brain tumour she returned to gospel music. Shorty after her recovery she vowed never to sing secular music again and sang occasionally with Cissy Houston's gospel choir in Newark, New Jersey. Clay became a licensed evangelist in 1990.

Judy relocated to her hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina, where she spent the rest of her days as Mrs. Judith Gatewood, witnessing her two sons graduate from college and exercising her deep and commanding singing voice only in the choir of her local church.

She died July 19, 2001 in Fayetteville, NC following complications from an auto accident. She was 62 years old. She was survived by two sons, Todd and Leo Gatewood, a brother, Raymond Guions, and her sister, Mrs. Sylvia Shemwell. (Edited from Wikipedia, Guardian, Spectropop & All Music)

7 comments:

boppinbob said...

Here’s a collection of Judy Clay's complete secular recordings from 1961 to 1969 and includes close to a dozen unissued cuts. All files chronicled, cleanly tagged and mp3 @ 320kbs. Thanks to Groovy Gumbo.

https://www.mediafire.com/file/9in0u55l6tzu25c/Judy_Clay.rar/file

01. Judy Clay - 1961 - More Than You Know (Ember 1080)
02. Judy Clay - 1961 - I Thought I'd Gotten Over Y0-u (Ember 1080)
03. Judy Clay - 1962 - Do You Think That's Right (Ember 1085)
04. Judy Clay - 1962 - Stormy Weather (Ember 1085)
05. Judy Clay - 1963 - Let It Be Me (Lavette 1004)
06. Judy Clay - 1963 - I'm Up Tight (Lavette 1004)
07. Judy Clay - 1964 - My Arms Aren't Strong Enough (Scepter 1273)
08. Judy Clay - 1964 - That's All (Scepter 1273)
09. Judy Clay - 1964 - Lonely People Do Foolish Things (Scepter 1281)
10. Judy Clay - 1964 - I'm Comin' Home (Scepter 1281)
11. Judy Clay - 196X - That's All [alt] (Scepter Unissued)
12. Judy Clay - 196X - Upset My Heart (Scepter Unissued)
13. Judy Clay - 1966 - Haven't Got What It Takes (Scepter 12135)
14. Judy Clay - 1966 - Way You Look Tonight (Scepter 121350
15. Judy Clay - 1966 - I Want You (Scepter Unissued)
16. Judy Clay - 1966 - You Busted My Mind (Scepter 12157)
17. Judy Clay - 1966 - Your Kind Of Lovin' (Scepter 12157)
18. Judy Clay - 1966 - He's The Kind Of Guy (Scepter 12157 alt)
19. Judy Clay - 196X - Turn Back The Time (Scepter Unissued)
20. Judy Clay - 1967 - You Can't Run Away From Your Heart (Stax 230)
21. Judy Clay - 1967 - It Takes A Lotta Good Love (Stax 230)
22. Judy Clay - 1967 - Your Love Is Good Enough (Stax Unissued)
23. Judy Clay - 1967 - Since You Came Along (Stax Unissued)
24. Judy Clay & Billy Vera - 1967 - Storybook Children (Atlantic 2445)
25. Judy Clay & Billy Vera - 1968 - Country Girl, City Man (Atlantic 2480)
26. Judy Clay & Billy Vera - 1968 - So Good (To Be Together) (Atlantic 2480)
27. Judy Clay & Billy Vera - 1968 - When Do We Go (Atlantic 2515)
28. Judy Clay & Billy Vera - 1968 - Ever Since (Atlantic 2525)
29. Judy Clay & Billy Vera - 1968 - Let It Be Me (Atlantic SD 8174)
30. Judy Clay & Billy Vera - 1968 - Soul Man (Atlantic SD 8174)
31. Judy Clay & Billy Vera - 1968 - Good Morning Blues (Atlantic SD 8174)
32. Judy Clay & Billy Vera - 1968 - We're In Love (Atlantic SD 8174)
33. Judy Clay & Billy Vera - 1968 - Bring It On Home To me (Atlantic SD 8174)
34. Judy Clay & Billy Vera - 1968 - Do Right Woman, Do Right Man (Atlantic SD 8174)
35. Judy Clay & William Bell - 1968 - Private Number (Stax 0005)
36. Judy Clay & William Bell - 1968 - Love-Eye-Tis (Stax STA 0005)
37. Judy Clay - 1968 - Bed Of Roses (Stax STA-0006)
38. Judy Clay - 1968 - Remove These Clouds (Stax STA 0006)
39. Judy Clay - 1968 - Children Don't Get Weary (STAX Unissued)
40. Judy Clay & William Bell - 1968 - My Baby Specializes (Stax STA 0017)
41. Judy Clay & William Bell - 1968 - Left Over Love (Stax STA 0017)
42. Judy Clay - 1969 - It's Me (Stax STS 2-2007)
43. Judy Clay - 1969 - Somebody's Fool (Stax Unissued)
44. Judy Clay - 1969 - My Baby Specializes [solo] (Stax Unissued)
45. Judy Clay - 1969 - It Ain't Long Enough (Stax STA 0026)
46. Judy Clay - 1969 - Give Love To Save Love (Stax STA 0026)
47. Judy Clay & Billy Vera - 1969 - Reaching For The Moon (Atlantic 2654)
48. Judy Clay & Billy Vera - 1969 - Tell It Like It Is (Atlantic 2654)
49. Judy Clay - 1969 - The Love Of My Man (AtlantiC Unissued)
50. Judy Clay - 1969 - I Got To Love Somebody's Baby (Atlantic Unissued)
51. Judy Clay - 1969 - Sister Pitiful (Atlantic 2669)
52. Judy Clay - 1969 - Get Together (Atlantic 2669)
53. Judy Clay - 1969 - Greatest Love (Atlantic 2697)
54. Judy Clay - 1969 - Savin' It All For You (Atlantic 2697)

Unknown said...

This is a comprehensive list. Thank you for taking the time. There are few unreleased items missing. notably, her rendition of the O'Jays "Let Me Make Love to You" live in Newark. The Sweets are background on that one. I would love to get a copy!!!! It was released shortly after her version of Staying Alive circa 1978.

DBernard said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
boppinbob said...

Hello Diane dianejbernardatgmail.com is not recognized.

All the photos on my posts are taken from either Google image search and / or other blogs. I do give credit to the sources of information used but I'm afraid not the photos as I have an allotted time (usually 2 hrs) to research the birthday celebrity, edit the bio, insert the photographs and search for a video.

Regarding the photographs.I always try to find any terms and conditions of the website supplying the images, but more than likely there is none. For my photo sources try right clicking on photographs and opt for Google Lens search.

Since I started my blog in 2012 I have had one complaint from the daughter of a guitarist regarding a photo she took of her father that I used, but after my apology, she allowed me permission to use it plus a thumbs up for my bio of her dad. Blogging is purely a hobby of mine in which I try to highlight mainly past musicians or singers and hopefully introduce them to others. All my posts are purely for research and education and are non profitable.

Regards, Bob Sevier
.

LT said...

What a spectacular post with the collected gems of Ms Clay! Sadly the mediafire link is unavailable but thank you anyway. Perhaps one day there can be a new link.

boppinbob said...

Hello LT, The Media Fire link works ok in the UK.
Try this one....
https://pixeldrain.com/u/CEh2K7di

LT said...

Thank you so much!!!