Venetta Fields

Venetta Lee Fields (born 1941) is an American-born Australian singer and musical theater actress, and vocal coach.

Fields was born in Buffalo, New York in 1941, into a religious family.

Her early musical training was from regular gospel performances at church.

Her inspiration was Aretha Franklin.

Fields singing career began with the Templaires, a group she formed with members of her church, followed by the Corinthian Gospel Singers.

Fields was a backing vocalist for touring American and British rock and pop acts of the 1960s and 1970s, as well as working as a session recording vocalist, she worked with artists including Ike & Tina Turner, Pink Floyd, Humble Pie, Barbra Streisand, Elkie Brooks, Neil Diamond, Steely Dan, Boz Scaggs, Bob Seger and the Rolling Stones.

In late 1961, the Ike & Tina Turner Revue were playing in Buffalo.

Fields successfully auditioned as a new member of Ike & Tina Turner's backing vocalists, joining the Ikettes.

The revue toured the Chitlin' Circuit and performed at prominent theaters in major cities across the United States.

In between gigs Ike Turner produced artists in the revue.

Fields released her debut single "You're Still My Baby"/ "I'm Leaving You" on Turner's Sony Records label in 1963.

Fields was given a solo to perform during shows, such as "The Love of My Man" on the album Ike & Tina Turner Revue Live (1964), "I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)," and "Good Time Tonight" on Live! The Ike & Tina Turner Show (1965).

In 1965, the Ikettes released the Top 40 hit "Peaches 'N' Cream" (Pop #36, R&B #28) and "I'm So Thankful" (Pop #74, R&B #12) on Modern Records.

By late 1965, Fields left the revue along with fellow Ikettes Jessie Smith and Robbie Montgomery.

Fields later recalled "I was an Ikette for five years. It was a rough job, but it was a very good experience. It's just like a school. You go from grade 1 to 2, not from 1 to 8. And when you graduate you have to leave. There is such a thing as staying too long; when you start getting stagnant and stifled by what you're doing. We almost stayed too long."

Fields later relocated to Los Angeles after leaving the revue.

In 1966, the trio signed to Mirwood Records and became the Mirettes.

They left Mirwood and released their highest-charting single "In the Midnight Hour" (Pop #45, R&B #18) on Revue Records in 1968.

Fields worked as a session vocalist from about 1969, often with Clydie King and Sherlie Matthews, for Quincy Jones, Paul Butterfield, Tim Buckley, Steely Dan, Joe Walsh, Joe Cocker, Elkie Brooks, Neil Diamond, Leonard Cohen, Bob Seger, Burt Bacharach and Burton Cummings.

Others include: Diana Ross, Bette Midler, Bob Dylan, the Supremes, and for Aretha Franklin – her mentor and inspiration.

By 1970, Fields had left the group and was replaced by former Ikette Pat Powdrill.

Around 1971, Fields, King, and Matthews formed the Blackberries, with Matthews as producer and songwriter as well as vocalist.

When backing Ray Charles, the trio worked as the Raelettes.

Fields had previously sung on two of Streisand's albums from 1971.

In 1972 Steve Marriott asked them to record and tour with his band, Humble Pie, and produced an unreleased Blackberries LP with Humble Pie as the backing band – they parted company in 1973.

Michael Little of Vinyl District reviewed Eat It (April 1973), which showed Humble Pie "at its most eclectic. Each of its four sides emphasized a different aspect of the band, and the concept works."

He described the track, "Get Down to It", which "makes maximum use of the band's backing singers" including "the immortal" Fields.

Notable performances during this time included Wish You Were Here (September 1975) with Pink Floyd, and recording the Rolling Stones' album Exile on Main St. (May 1972).

Fields later reflected on her sessions for the latter album, they were at midnight but she wanted money for clothing, "I was more interested in the coat than I was in the Rolling Stones".

With King, she sang on four tracks, "Tumbling Dice", "I Just Want to See His Face", "Let It Loose" and "Shine a Light", which she felt "were wonderful songs and they were just right for us... We knew gospel. That's what most people wanted from us, a gospel sound."

Fields and King acted as Barbra Streisand's backing singers (The Oreos) in the 1976 musical film, A Star Is Born (December 1976), and sang on its associated film soundtrack (November 1976).

As a member of Boz Scaggs' backing band, Fields toured Australia in 1978 and 1980.

While in the country in the latter year she contributed backing vocals to Marc Hunter's (ex-Dragon) solo album, Big City Talk.

In the mid-1980s in Melbourne, Fields formed a new group, Venetta's Taxi, with a line-up including vocalist Sherlie Matthews, guitarist Michael den Elzen and Chong Lim on keyboards, while also performing regularly as a backing vocalist for local and touring artists.

Back in the US she provided backing vocals for So Lucky (December 1981), by Renée Geyer – the Australian artist was then working in California.

After emigrating to Australia in 1982, she took up citizenship.

She recorded or toured as a backing singer for Australian artists Richard Clapton, Australian Crawl, Cold Chisel, Jimmy Barnes, James Morrison and John Farnham.

Fields decided to relocate permanently to Australia in 1982, "I had all that experience and a good reputation but I felt like I was stuck in a stereotyped box... I needed to do something else and I had to get away to somewhere where I could start again."

She also recorded or toured as a backing singer with Australian artists Richard Clapton (1983–84), Jimmy Barnes, Australian Crawl, Cold Chisel, James Morrison and Mark Gillespie and as a long-term touring and session harmony vocalist for John Farnham (1986–95).Venetta Fields entries at Australian Rock Database:

Fields continued to work with US artists when they toured her adopted country until 2000, including George Benson, Dionne Warwick, Streisand, Thelma Houston and Randy Crawford.