How Clydie King and Venetta Fields Brought a Smoother Soul to the Stones' 1970s Sound

Merry Clayton’s scream on “Gimme Shelter” is iconic—raw, gospel fury that feels like the song is tearing open. When the Stones moved into the mid-70s, they didn’t just swap one backing vocalist for another; they changed the entire texture. Clydie King and Venetta Fields came from a slicker, more polished soul background (both had sung with Ray Charles and the Raelettes), and their harmonies on albums like It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll are airier and more blended, less about individual power than about weaving a cushion around Mick Jagger’s lead.

On tour, King and Fields were a visual and vocal anchor. The 1975 tour’s live arrangements—songs like “Tumbling Dice” and “Happy”—got a lighter, girl-group swing from the duo, a contrast to the earlier era’s rough-edged call-and-response. They didn’t try to match Clayton’s ferocity; instead they locked into the funkier rhythms of the band, turning backing vocals into a melodic counterpoint rather than a dramatic exclamation. The difference is clearest on the title track of It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll: Clayton might have charged in like a storm, but King and Fields glide underneath, making the song feel almost playful rather than apocalyptic.