Music
Marcella Detroit
born 1952 · singer, songwriter, guitarist
Detroit-born singer who co-wrote Eric Clapton's “Lay Down Sally” and sang lead on Shakespears Sister's “Stay,” later taking her hometown's name as her own.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan
age 74- Birth name
- Marcella Levy
- Also known as
- Marcy Levy
- Detroit years
- 1952–early 1970s
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Marcy Levy was born in Detroit and began her career playing with different bands in her home city in the early 1970s. Her voice soon took her on the road with Leon Russell and then into Eric Clapton's band, where she sang backing vocals for most of the 1970s and co-wrote his 1977 hit “Lay Down Sally.” She released a debut album, Marcella, in 1982 and worked as a session singer before meeting former Bananarama member Siobhan Fahey in 1988. As a duo, Shakespears Sister had two UK top-ten albums, and Levy sang the soaring lead on “Stay,” which held the No. 1 spot in Britain for eight weeks in 1992. It was during this period that she adopted the stage name Marcella Detroit, taking the name of the city she came from. After the duo split in 1993 she had a UK hit with “I Believe” and later returned to her blues roots with the Marcy Levy Band.
Highlights
- Began in Detroit bands in the early 1970s
- Co-wrote Eric Clapton's “Lay Down Sally” (1977)
- Lead vocal on Shakespears Sister's “Stay,” eight weeks UK No. 1 (1992)
- Adopted the stage name Marcella Detroit
- Solo UK top-20 hit “I Believe” (1994)