Backing vocalist

One of the Wives, the backing vocalists for English singerEbony Bones

Abacking vocalistis asingerwho providesvocal harmonywith thelead vocalistor other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing acounter-melody.Backing vocalists are used in a broad range ofpopular music,traditional music,andworld musicstyles.

Solo artists may employ professional backing vocalists in studio recording sessions as well as during concerts. In manyrockandmetalbands (e.g., thepower trio), the musicians doing backing vocals also play instruments, such as guitar, electric bass or keyboards. InLatinorAfro-Cubangroups, backing singers may play percussion instruments or shakers while singing. In somepopandhip-hopgroups and inmusical theater,they may be required to perform dance routines while singing through headset microphones.

Styles of background vocals vary according to the type of song and genre of music. In pop andcountrysongs, backing vocalists may sing harmony to support the lead vocalist. Inhardcore punkorrockabilly,other band members who play instruments may sing or shout backing vocals during the chorus (refrain) section of the songs.

Terminology

Alternative terms for backing vocalists includebacking singer,backing vocals,additional vocalsor, particularly in the United States and Canada,backup singer,background singer,orharmony.

Examples

While some bands use performers whose sole on-stage role is backing vocals, backing singers commonly have other roles. Two notable examples of band members who sang back-up areThe Beach BoysandThe Beatles.The Beach Boys were well known for their close vocal harmonies, occasionally with all five members singing at once such as "In My Room"and"Surfer Girl".

The Beatles were also known for their close style of vocal harmonies– all of them sang both lead and backing vocals at some point, especiallyJohn LennonandPaul McCartney,who frequently supported each other with harmonies, often with fellow BeatleGeorge Harrisonjoining in.Ringo Starr,while not as prominent as a backup singer due to his distinctive voice, sings backing vocals in such tracks as "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill"and"Carry That Weight".Examples of three-part harmonies by Lennon, McCartney and Harrison include"Nowhere Man","Because","Day Tripper",and"This Boy". The members ofCrosby, Stills, Nash & YoungandBee Geeseach wrote songs, sang backup or lead vocals, and played various instruments in their performances and recordings.

Lyrics

In the lyrics, the backing vocals are standardly written in parentheses to differentiate them from the main vocals, which are written without any markup. The backing vocals for a line may come in mid-line, or even after the main lyrics have already been sung. Vocalizing is fairly common so as to not detract from the meaning of the lyrics of the primary vocals. The sound of the backing vocals is often in a differing style (e.g., either more muted or pitched up) so as to complement rather than compete with the main parts.

Lead singers who record backing vocals

In the recording studio, some lead singers record their own backing vocals byoverdubbingwith amultitrack recordingsystem, record their own backing vocals, then recording the lead part over them. Some lead vocalists prefer this approach because multiple parts recorded by the same singer blend well.

A famous example overdubbing isFreddie Mercury's multipart intro toQueen's "Bohemian Rhapsody".Other artists who have recorded multitrack lead and backing vocals includePatrick StumpofFall Out Boy,Tom DeLongeofBlink-182andAngels and Airwaves,Wednesday 13in his own band andMurderdolls,Ian GillanofDeep Purple,Brendon UrieofPanic! at the Disco,Simon Le BonofDuran Duran,andBrad DelpofBoston.

With the exception of a few songs on each album,Michael Jackson,Janet Jackson,Prince,Dan Fogelberg,Eddie Rabbitt,David Bowie,Harry Nilsson,andRichard Marxsing all of the background vocals for their songs.Robert Smithofthe Curesings his own backing vocals in the studio, and doesn't use backing vocalists when performing live.

Uncredited backing vocals

Prominent vocalists who provide backing vocals in other artists' recordings are often uncredited to avoid conflicts with their own recording agreements, and for other reasons. Examples include:

• "Roll with Me, Henry"byEtta James,which includesRichard Berry,author of "Louie Louie",performing the role of Henry.
• Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home to Me",with vocal" echo "responses byLou Rawls.
• John LennonandPaul McCartneyonthe Rolling Stones' "We Love You".
• Ronnie SpectoronEddie Money's "Take Me Home Tonight",fromthe Ronettes' 1963 hit "Be My Baby".
• Mick Jaggerdoing background vocals onCarly Simon's recording of "You're So Vain",which led to the erroneous theory that the song was about Jagger.
• Paul McCartneyas one of the background revellers onDonovan's 1966 "Mellow Yellow".(Contrary to popular belief, McCartney does not whisper" quite rightly "in the chorus, but Donovan himself).
• Andrew Gold's "Never Let Her Slip Away",with harmony vocals byFreddie Mercury.
• Jonathan Richman's "The Neighbors", featuring Jody Ross.
• Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me",with backing vocals byJermaine JacksonandMichael Jackson.
• "Bad Blood"byNeil Sedaka,with backing vocals byElton John.
• Patti LaBelleonKanye West's "Roses" from the albumLate Registration.She said the liner notes were already printed when she lent her vocals to the track.
• Usher's "Superstar", with vocals byFaith Evans.
• Mýa's background vocals on "Get None", the debut single byTamar Braxton.
• Al B. Sure!'s background vocals inGuy's song "You Can Call Me Crazy". (According to producerTeddy Riley,the song was originally planned for Sure!'s debut albumIn Effect Modebut didn't make the final cut.)
• Mint ConditionfrontmanStokley Williamsdoing background vocals on "The Curse Of The Gifted" fromWale's 2013 albumThe Gifted.
• Eric Roberson's background vocals onCam'ron's song "Tomorrow" from his 2002 albumCome Home with Me.
• Anelia's vocals onAndrea's 2014 songНай-добрата(Nay-dobrata).
• Jamie Foxx's vocals onAriana Grande's 2015 single "Focus".
• Ina Wroldsen's vocals onCalvin Harris's andDisciples's 2015 song "How Deep Is Your Love".
• Iselin Solheim's vocals onAlan Walker's 2015 song "Faded",and his 2016 song"Sing Me to Sleep".
• Beyoncé's background vocals onColdplay's 2015 song "Hymn for the Weekend"from their albumA Head Full of Dreams.

See also

• Hype man,a type of backing vocalist especially in hip hop music
• List of backing groups
• Nebenstimme
• VOCALOID
• 20 Feet from Stardom(2013 documentary film on backing singers)

External links

• R.E.S.P.E.C.T - The Art of Backing Vocals(BBC Radio 4 programme)