Clare Torry - Career

Career

By the end of the 1960s, Clare Torry managed to start a career as a performer, mainly based on covers of popular songs. Alan Parsons asked her to take part in Pink Floyd's recording of the album The Dark Side of the Moon, on the instrumental song penned by Richard Wright going under the name of "The Great Gig in the Sky".

Since then, Torry has also performed as a session singer (singing on a number of 1970s UK TV adverts) and as a live backing vocalist with Kevin Ayers, Olivia Newton-John, Shriekback, The Alan Parsons Project (for which she also sang lead vocal on one track on their 1979 Eve album), Procol Harum mainman Gary Brooker, Matthew Fisher, Cerrone, Culture Club (on their hit "The War Song"), Meat Loaf and Johnny Mercer. She reprised her Pink Floyd appearance during a few 1980s concerts with Roger Waters' band, and also contributed to Waters' 1986 soundtrack When the Wind Blows and to his 1987 album Radio K.A.O.S.. She sang with the David Gilmour-led Pink Floyd at a 1990 concert at Knebworth.

In 1971, Brad Miller produced possibly his first and only 45rpm single on his Mobile Fidelity Productions record label. The single, simply listed as by "Clare", was MFP-1, "Saunders Ferry Lane" b/w "Early Morning". As with all of Brad Miller's productions, much hard work went into this record so that the sound would be superb. This record was quickly picked up by A&M Records, single # 1299-S, and promoted by the Mendes/Graham Association. The MFP-1 single was released in a mono/stereo promotional form and also a stereo commercial single. The A&M version has only been seen in stereo/mono promotional form. Literature was included with the A&M single introducing the new artist "Clare" and also stating that a special quadraphonic version was played to a meeting of recording executives as a showpiece. Brad Miller was at the forefront of quadraphonic sound and released some of the first quadraphonic tapes of both music and soundeffects on the Warner Brothers record label.

Clare Torry also sang the Dolly Parton song "Love Is Like a Butterfly" as the theme music to the 1970s Wendy Craig/Geoffrey Palmer sitcom Butterflies. This was released as a single in 1981. Clare Torry also released the song "Love for Living" in June 1969, it was produced by Ronnie Scott and Robin Gibb.

In 1975, Torry reportedly sang the lead female vocal part on Guys 'n' Dolls' hit "There's a Whole Lotta Loving", rather than any member of the actual group. Her voice can also be heard singing "Love to Love You Baby" (originally by Donna Summer) during the opening scene of the cult BBC Play for Today production of Abigail's Party in 1977.

She sang in a fashion similar to that of "The Great Gig in the Sky" on the track "The War Song" on Culture Club's Waking Up with the House on Fire album in 1984, as well as on the track "Yellowstone Park" on the Tangerine Dream album Le Parc in 1985. She is also credited on the 1987 album En Dejlig Torsdag (A Lovely Thursday) by the Danish pop rock band TV-2, where she sings in fashion similar to that of "The Great Gig in the Sky" at the end of the tracks "Stjernen I Mit Liv" ("The Star in my Life") and "I Baronessens Seng" ("In the Bed of the Baroness").