Clare Torry

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Clare Torry

Occupation	Singer
Known for	The Great Gig in the Sky

Clare Torry is a British singer, best known for her wordless vocals on Pink Floyd's "The Great Gig in the Sky" on the 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon.

Torry has also performed as a session singer and live backing vocalist with Kevin Ayers, Olivia Newton-John, Shriekback, The Alan Parsons Project (for which she also sang lead vocal on one track), 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.

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.

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.^{[citation needed]} Her vocals 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 similar fashion to "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 furthermore credited on the 1987 album En Dejlig Torsdag (English: A Lovely Thursday) by the Danish pop rock band TV-2, where she sings in similar fashion to "The Great Gig In The Sky" at the end of the tracks "Stjernen I Mit Liv" (English: "The Star in my Life") and "I Baronessens Seng" (English: "In the Bed of the Baroness").

In 2004, she sued Pink Floyd and EMI for songwriting royalties, on the basis that her contribution to "The Great Gig in the Sky" constituted co-authorship with keyboardist Richard Wright; originally, she was paid the standard flat fee of £30 for Sunday studio work. In 2005, a settlement was reached in the High Court in Torry's favour, although the terms of the settlement were not disclosed^[1]. It is believed that future editions of the album will feature Torry's name in the credits, next to Wright's, for composing "The Great Gig in the Sky". The 2006 release of P*U*L*S*E, a Pink Floyd live DVD, shows the credit 'Wright/Vocal composition by Clare Torry' for the "Great Gig in the Sky" segment.

In February, 2006, Clare Torry released a CD Heaven in the Sky, a collection of her early pop tunes from the 60s and 70s.