She was just packing up for her tour last week when the call came to make a record with Jackson Browne. Such is life for Lisa Fischer, who’s one of the pop world’s most renowned backing singers when she’s not out as a frontwoman.
A standout in the movie “20 Feet From Stardom,” Fischer has proven a compatible match for some of the most iconic singers there are, including Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin and the Rolling Stones. So when Browne invited her to sing, she knew what to do.
“Usually what I do is down to the person who calls,” she said. “With Jackson, he was so sweet and he sent me this beautiful demo of him singing the song and playing guitar. And that gave me a week to become like a biscuit in the gravy of his music. You have to keep an open mind, because it’s a song that hasn’t been done yet. And he’s such a storyteller that his music shifts every time he tells a different story; this one was about a woman who’s a drummer. We ended up singing it through together — You end up being like wet clay, molding yourself in a way that serves the music.”
Fischer had some solo success before the backup gigs happened, and in 1991 she had a chart hit with a song she wrote (and still performs), “How Can I Ease the Pain.” But around this time she was also given a featured slot with the Stones, and worked with them for the next 20 years. “I guess in my mind I never had direction, I just followed the path. Doing the first Stones tour was crazy, because I’d never been in that setting before — When the energy comes from the crowd to the stage, it feels like thunder roaring in the distance. My natural inclination is to watch the lead singer, with my eyes and my ears — If they’re out of breath, if they’re doing great, how much space to leave them and when to step in.”
She admits it’s a special challenge to sing with a Mick, a Tina or an Aretha. “I try to be a blank canvas — They’ll give me a lyric, and they’ll maybe sing the melody if I’m lucky. I get excited because I never know what body of water I’ll be dropped in, so I put my floaters on and go. You want to be the best always, and you always worry a little bit about disappointing somebody. But the microscope is more focused on you when it’s someone larger than life; you have to talk yourself off the ledge a little bit. But then you realize that they are another creative spirit who wants to do their best.”
At City Winery Saturday, Fischer will be accompanied by pianist Taylor Eigsti. And she’s likely to sing anything from folk songs to pop/soul standards to Stones and Zeppelin covers, even the occasional classical aria. “The movie gave me the opportunity to sing as myself, and with that comes come lovely choices. Because music really is all over the place, right? I love the idea that whenever you’re hungry for something, you can go out into the world and get it; today it might be Mediterranean or Indian food. And the beauty is that you can do whatever your palate wants.”
Does she feel she’s any closer to stardom now than 20 feet? “Good question. I really feel like the audience for me are the stars, you know? So I am only a few feet away from them, and I get to touch everyone with their heart and their smile and their participation.”