01/06/2024
Clare Torry
British singer known for performing the improvised, wordless vocals on the song "The Great Gig in the Sky" on Pink Floyd's 1973 album The dark side of the Moon.
In 2004, Torry 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. In 1973, as a session singer, she was paid only the standard flat fee of ÂŁ30 for Sunday studio work (the equivalent of ÂŁ400 in 2022).
She said in 1998, "If I'd known then what I know now, I would have done something about organising copyright or publishing."
In 2005, an out-of-court settlement was reached in Torry's favour, although the terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
All releases after 2005 carry an additional credit for "Vocal composition by Clare Torry" in the "Great Gig in the Sky" segment of the booklet or liner notes.
"They simply said, 'Who shall we get to sing this?' And I said, 'Well, I know a great singer.' I just knew her through one album of hit cover versions she'd done – you know, the cover albums that proliferated in the early 1970s. They were always done in a day. And I was very impressed with her. There was a bit of direction given: they said, 'Sorry, we've got no words, no melody line, just a chord sequence – just see what you can do with it.' She was only there for a couple of hours. As I remember, she did two or three tracks, from which we assembled the best bits for a master version. But somewhere in the archives are the bits we didn't use, and I'm sure it would make for an interesting remix version one day." – Alan Parsons.