Case in point: Clayton, who became part of rock history after getting a last-minute late-night call to sing with the Rolling Stones on the 1969 recording of Gimme Shelter.
It is Clayton who wails, "Rape, murder. It's just a shot away. It's just a shot away."
After that big break, Clayton got her best shot, releasing the first album on producer Lou Adler's Ode Records to be issued after Carole King's legendary Tapestry. But Clayton's solo efforts never clicked.
Nor have they yet for Judith Hill, who was set to duet with Michael Jackson on the ill-fated This is It tour.
Hill's dream of being a household name is still alive, but she knows it may never come true.
"A lot of times there are so many amazing, great background singers who can be 'the artist'," Hill says. "But maybe there's something in their personal life, or maybe their management can be slightly off. There's so many things that can easily set off the reason why they are not front and centre."
Some actually were front, centre and successful:
Darlene Love sang the lead on the 1962 chart topping He's a Rebel, but the credit instead went to The Crystals, who never set foot into the Rebel recording sessions. It wasn't until 20 years later that Love's own star rose, including gigs on Broadway, in Hollywood, annual performances of her beloved Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) on David Letterman's talk show, and, at last, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2011.
Lisa Fischer scored a Grammy award, an urban smash and top-20 pop hit with the 1992 single How Can I Ease the Pain. But solo stardom was fleeting and soon she was back in the background.
With shrinking production budgets, new technology and the increasing use of home studios, getting 20 feet away from stardom may now be tougher than ever. "There used to be more ways for people to interact and work together in one room, experience something face to face with people as opposed to just being sort of on your own," says Fischer, who has been on tour with the Stones.
"You try to go into someone's home where they're recording, or where they're writing
" It used to be you would bump into people in a studio or at a gig and talk about, 'I'm doing my record, can you come sing background? That doesn't happen as often. It used to happen a lot more."
Clayton says she still harbours dreams of solo success and, in the film, gets tearful when talking about failing to become a star. But at 64 she seems to have come to at least partial terms with what she has, and has not, accomplished in her career.
"You can be a star, but how long is that going to last?" Clayton says. "You want longevity in this industry. You don't really want to be a shot away, as they would say. You don't want to be a shot away. You want to be in the middle of it and you want to thrive throughout the whole journey."
And Neville says: "I feel like, at the end of the day they've all struggled with the lack of stardom maybe, but they're proud of what they've done."
What: 20 Feet From Stardom, a doco about backing singers
When and where: Bridgeway, Saturday, July 20, 6pm ; Civic, Thursday, July 25, 1.30pm; Lido, July 27, 6.15pm; Civic Friday, August 2, 6.30pm
- TimeOut / AP
