Clydie King

Clydie Mae King (August 21, 1943 – January 7, 2019) was an American singer, best known for her session work as a backing vocalist. King also recorded solo under her name. In the 1970s, she recorded as Brown Sugar, and her single "Loneliness (Will Bring Us Together Again)" reached No. 44 on the Billboard R&B charts in 1973.

Early life and career King was born in Dallas, Texas on August 21, 1943. At the time of King's death, the media reported that her parents, Lula Mae King and Curtis Crittendon, had raised her after her mother's 1945 death. A 1950 census record lists King as the child of Tom and Genevieve King. She was reported as Curtis's sister-in-law, with Lula born to the same parents. After starting to sing in the local church, King moved with her family to Los Angeles, where she graduated from Fremont High School in 1961.

Discovered by songwriter Richard Berry, King began her recording career in 1956 with Little Clydie and the Teens. She contributed to early 1960s recordings by producer Phil Spector, such as "River Deep – Mountain High, and was a member of Ray Charles' Raelettes from 1965 to 1968. She recorded solo singles for Specialty Records, Kent Records and others. Her 1971 solo single "'Bout Love" reached No. 45 on the R&B chart. Reviewing her 1972 debut album Direct Me, Robert Christgau wrote in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981): "Clydie has a voice that's more sly Diana than robust Martha and addresses the title plea to Gabriel Mekler, who (this time, anyway) proves neither as sly nor as robust as Berry Gordy."

King provided backing vocals for Humble Pie, which had great success in the United States, and she went on to become an in-demand session singer, worked with Venetta Fields and Sherlie Matthews and recorded with B.B. King, The Rolling Stones, Steely Dan, Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, Joe Cocker, Dickey Betts, Joe Walsh, and many others. She was a member of The Blackberries with Fields and Matthews and sang on Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour, which became a feature film. In 1971, she was featured on the Beaver and Krause album Gandarva. She sang the lead vocal on the gospel-inflected "Walkin' by the River," on which Ray Brown played bass. Along with Merry Clayton, she sang the background vocals on Lynyrd Skynyrd's seminal hit "Sweet Home Alabama".

Personal life King was married multiple times. She married Robin Hale on November 10, 1960 and with him had three sons: Christopher, Randy, and Magge Hale. King and Hale divorced in August of 1969. A subsequent husband was Tony Collins, with whom she had a daughter, Delores Collins.

Death King died on January 7, 2019, in a Monrovia, California hospital at the age of 75 from complications of a blood infection. Martha Reeves: Martha Reeves, Produced by Richard Perry 1974 The Rolling Stones: Exile on Main St. 1972 The Doors: Full Circle 1972 Linda Ronstadt: Don't Cry Now 1973, Heart Like A Wheel 1974 Diana Ross: Baby It's Me 1977 Dusty Springfield: Cameo 1973 Steely Dan: Can't Buy A Thrill 1972, The Royal Scam 1976, Aja 1977 Jean Terrell: I Had to Fall in Love 1978 Joe Walsh: The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get 1973 Barbra Streisand: A Star Is Born – backup vocals with Venetta Fields as The Oreos 1976 B.W. Stevenson: "My Maria" 1973 - backup vocals with Bill & Taffy Danoff, Daniel J. Moore*, Lorna Willard, Venetta Fields