1975 Merry Clayton – Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow

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Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow is the fourth album by Merry Clayton, released in 1975 on Ode.

Merry Clayton (born December 25, 1948) is an American soul and gospel singer and an actress. She provided a number of backing vocal tracks for major performing artists in the 1960s, most notably in her duet with Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones song “Gimme Shelter”.Clayton is featured in 20 Feet from Stardom, the Oscar-winning documentary about background singers and their contributions to the music industry. In 2013, she released The Best of Merry Clayton, a compilation of her favorite songs.

Tracks

1  Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow (Dave Grusin; Morgan Ames) 02:53 
2  Gets Hard Sometimes (Eugene McDaniels) 04:33
3  Sink Or Swim (Eugene McDaniels) 03:52
4  How’d I Know (Clarence McDonald; Deniece Williams; Lani Groves) 02:44
5  Gold Fever (Eugene McDaniels) 04:43
6  One More Ride (Jon Mayer; Marcia Hillman) 04:30
7  Room 205 (Bill Hayes) 03:08
8  Loving Grows Up Slow (Morgan Ames) 03:50
9  Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (Bob Dylan) 02:51
10  If I Lose (Eugene McDaniels) 03:19
11  Do What You Know (Eugene McDaniels; Morgan Ames; Roland Bautista) 03:48

Musicians

BassGary King
DrumsSteve Gadd
DrumsIdris Muhammad
GuitarDavid Spinozza
GuitarHugh McCracken
KeyboardsBob James
KeyboardsKenny Ascher
PercussionRalph MacDonald
VocalsMerry Clayton

Other Musicians

1 Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow

SaxJoe Farrell
TrumpetLloyd Michels
Background VocalsMaxine Willard Waters
Background VocalsJulia Tillman Waters


2 Gets Hard Sometimes

SaxTom Scott
Background VocalsEugene McDaniels


3 Sink Or Swim

Background VocalsEugene McDaniels


4 How’d I Know

Background VocalsEugene McDaniels


5 Gold Fever

Background VocalsEugene McDaniels


6 One More Ride

HornsTom Scott
Background VocalsJim Gilstrap
Background VocalsMarti McCall
Background VocalsStephanie Spruill


7 Room 205

Background VocalsMaxine Willard Waters
Background VocalsJulia Tillman Waters


8 Loving Grows Up Slow

SynthesizerIan Underwood
SynthesizerTom Scott
LyriconTom Scott
ViolinVirginia Majewski
Background VocalsEugene McDaniels


9 Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

SaxJoe Farrell
TrumpetLloyd Michels
Background VocalsEugene McDaniels


10 If I Lose

Background VocalsEugene McDaniels


11 Do What You Know

SaxJoe Farrell
TrumpetLloyd Michels
Background VocalsEugene McDaniels

Liner Notes

Producer – Eugene McDaniels
Arranged By – Gary King (Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10)
Arranged By – Hugh McCracken (Tracks 3, 9, 11)
Arranged By (Horns) – Tom Scott (Track 6)
Arranged By (Sax) – Tom Scott (Track 2)
Arranged By (Vocals) – Eugene McDaniels, Merry Clayton
Arranged By (Vocals) – Jerry Peters (Track 6)
Coordinator – Morgan Ames
Engineer – Hank Cicalo, Milt Calice, Jimmy Iovine

Art Direction, Photography By – Chuck Beeson

Recorded At A&M Studios
Recorded At Record Plant, N.Y.C.
Phonographic Copyright (p) A&M Records
Phonographic Copyright (p) Ode Records