If you were at The Rolling Stones gig last weekend, chances are you were too mesmerised by Mick Jagger’s inexplicable ability to still writhe his hips like an Olympic gymnast to notice a bona fide film star lurking at the back of the stage. Lisa Fischer may even have escaped your notice when she had her moment in the limelight, singing the female lead to Gimme Shelter. But of all the rock royalty on stage that night, Fischer is the only one who could end this weekend with an Oscar to her name.
If the name doesn’t ring any bells, don’t worry – Fischer is one of the stars of the Oscar-nominated documentary 20 Feet from Stardom, Morgan Neville’s film following the lives of a number of backing singers and turning the tables as they take centre stage while a host of rock legends offer their thoughts as the supporting cast.
Fischer joined the Stones’ touring band in 1989, taking over the Gimme Shelter female lead originally recorded by another of the film’s stars, Merry Clayton, as well as backing vocals throughout the live set. In 1991, however, she won a Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Grammy for the single How Can I Ease the Pain from her debut album, So Intense.
All the signs seemed to point to a glittering solo career. but Fischer abandoned her solo efforts and returned to backing duties. She’s since recorded or toured with Tina Turner, Sting and Nine Inch Nails as well as the Stones, but always quite happily in the background.
It seems Fischer just wasn’t cut out for the diva lifestyle. She told CBS in January: “I love making sounds with other people, watching people shine when they know their purpose. I just didn’t really know my purpose [as a solo artist]. When it came to the studio – ‘OK, what do you want to do?’ I was like ‘Um, sing a nice song?’”
Fischer even revealed that on the occasions touring with the Stones when she gives up her Gimme Shelter moment in favour of one special guest or another, from Lady Gaga to Mary J Blige, she enjoys hearing how other people interpret the part: “It gave me a new perspective and a new way to hear it,” she said.
Find out if this modesty continues should she add an Oscar to her Grammy by watching Sunday’s ceremony or following the latest on The National’s Scene&Heard blog.
