Born
Judith Grace Guions, in
St. Pauls, North Carolina, However, Vera has stated that television executives denied them appearances together, believing (wrongly) that Vera and Clay were more than just singing partners, and, to add insult to injury, had the song performed on network TV by
Nancy Sinatra and
Lee Hazlewood. Clay was pregnant, at the time, with her first child by her husband, jazz drummer Leo Gatewood. A follow-up, "My Baby Specializes", also made the R&B chart, before she returned to Atlantic for one more record with Vera, "Reaching for the Moon", and a final solo hit "Greatest Love" (No. 45 R&B in 1970). Subsequently, she worked as a backing vocalist with
Ray Charles,
Aretha Franklin,
Van Morrison,
Donny Hathaway and
Wilson Pickett. Diagnosed with a brain tumor in 1979, she returned to
gospel music shortly after her recovery, ==Discography==