Career
After moving to Brooklyn in the early 1950s, she was taken in by Lee Drinkard Warrick of The Drinkard Singers. Clay made her recorded debut with the Drinkard Singers - who later became better known as The Sweet Inspirations - on their 1954 album, The Newport Spiritual Stars. She left the Drinkard Singers in 1960 and made her first solo recording, "More Than You Know", on Ember Records.
This was followed by further singles on several record labels, but with little commercial success, although "You Busted My Mind" later became successful on the United Kingdom"s Northern soul club circuit.
In 1967, Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records teamed her up with white singer-songwriter Billy Vera to make the United States" first racially integrated duo, and The Sweet Inspirations, to record "Storybook Children". The record made #20 on the United States Rhythm & Blues chart and #54 popular.
After a further hit duet with Billy Vera, "Country Girl, City Manitoba", which reached #41 Rhythm & Blues and #36 popular, and an album together, she returned to Stax Records. There she had further successes, this time with William Bell.
Their recording of "Private Number" reached #17 in the Rhythm & Blues chart and #75 on the United States. popular chart, and had greater success in the United Kingdom where it reached #8 on the United Kingdom Singles Chart.
A follow-up, "My Baby Specializes", also made the Rhythm & Blues chart, before she returned to Atlantic for one more record with Vera, "Reaching Foreign The Moon," and a final solo hit "Greatest Love" (# 45 Rhythm & Blues in 1970). Subsequently, she worked as a backing vocalist with Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison, Donny Hathaway and Wilson Pickett. Struck with a brain tumour in 1979, she returned to gospel music shortly after her recovery, and sang occasionally with Cissy Houston"s gospel choir in Newark, New Jersey.
She was in a car accident, and died a few weeks later of complications at the age of 62.