As recommended by: Alec Ross, Doosh79, lorksa
'Lisa Fischer is a singer who really gets around,' says her website. She's toured and recorded with Tina Turner, Chaka Khan, Beyoncé, Dionne Warwick, Dolly Parton, Bobby McFerrin, Alicia Keys, Lou Reed, Louie Vega, Aretha Franklin… the list goes on. She has also accompanied the Rolling Stones on every one of their tours since 1989, and a video of her performing Gimme Shelter with Mick Jagger in 2006 has more than 1.1m hits on YouTube Photograph: Ilpo Musto/Rex Features
As recommended by: spleety, alanwskinner
From Buffalo, New York, Venetta Fields started her career as one of Ike & Tina Turner's Ikettes, and has gone on to sing with Diana Ross, Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, Joe Cocker, Quincy Jones, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan Photograph: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
As recommended by: John Bamber, bignosey
McCuller has recorded with Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Luther Vandross, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Bette Midler, Lionel Richie, Billy Idol and Beck. He is also a long-time backing singer for Phil Collins and James Taylor, the latter of which has said: 'Arnold McCuller is what’s going on. That’s always been the case and it always will be' Photograph: NBC/Getty Images
As recommended by: archtops, maxfisher
As their name suggests, Darlene McCrea, Margie Hendricks, Patricia Lyles and Gwendolyn Berry (the original line-up) were backing singers for Ray Charles. In Ray, the 2004 biopic of Charles's life, Hendricks suggests what we might call a folk etymology of the band's name. Told by Charles: 'You'll be called the Raelettes,' she replies by asking, 'Does that mean we have to let Ray?' archtops quotes Charles as saying: 'Aretha, Gladys, Etta James – these gals are all bad, but on any given night, Margie will scare you to death' Photograph: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
As recommended by: missileman
Though not known as a backing singer, Sting is the falsettist on the 1985 Dire Straits single Money for Nothing. 'I want my MTV,' he sings (repeatedly). And he got it: though Money for Nothing satirises the trappings of rock'n'roll, MTV chose its groundbreaking video to launch their new European channel when it started broadcasting in 1987 Photograph: Peter Still/Redferns
As recommended by: maciver, vikingbones
Doris Troy settled in London in 1969, and maciver says that she was a 'fixture at London sessions' during the following decade, singing on tracks such as the Rolling Stones' You Can't Always Get What You Want, George Harrison's My Sweet Lord and Carly Simon's You're So Vain Photograph: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
As recommended by: spleety
Matthews says of herself: 'I started performing as a soloist in church at the age of two.' As an adult, she has recorded backing vocals with the Stones, Steely Dan, Joe Cocker, Ray Charles, Wings, Eric Clapton, the Beach Boys, Neils Young and Diamond, Lynyrd Skynyrd… Photograph: PR
As recommended by: ID173854, preraphaelite
A Raelette in one of their many line-ups, King also sang backup for Steely Dan, Bob Dylan, her namesake BB and on Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama. And, like so many people on this list, she performed with the pathologically backing-hungry Rolling Stones Photograph: Gems/Redferns
As recommended by: Maqroll, Irish, exiledlondoner
Bob Marley shall not sing with Wailers alone, and in 1974 he assembled the I-Threes: Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt and Marcia Griffiths Photograph: Graham Wiltshire/Redferns
As recommended by TattyFred
TattyFred reminds us that Bowie sang backing vocals on Lou Reed's Satellite of Love, from the Transformer album, which he also produced with guitarist Mick Ronson. Many years after the event, an earlier Velvet Underground version of the song was unearthed, which had been recorded during the Loaded sessions. More recently, Bowie sang backup on Reflektor by Arcade Fire Photograph: Gus Stewart/Redferns
