Merry Clayton ( born December 25 , 1948 ) is an American soul and gospel singer and an actress . She provided a number of backing vocal tracks for major performing artists in the 1960s , most notably in her duet with Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones song `` Gimme Shelter . '' Clayton is featured in 20 Feet from Stardom , the Oscar - winning documentary about background singers and their contributions to the music industry . In 2013 , she released The Best of Merry Clayton , a compilation of her favorite songs .

Question: who sings gimme shelter with mick jagger
Answer: Merry Clayton