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).
Judy Clay, Dionne Warwick & Mabel John
|
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:
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)
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.
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
.
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.
Hello LT, The Media Fire link works ok in the UK.
Try this one....
https://pixeldrain.com/u/CEh2K7di
Thank you so much!!!
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