Clydie Mae King (August 21, 1943 – January 7, 2019) was an American singer, best known for her session work as a backing vocalist. King also recorded solo under her name. In the 1970s, she recorded as Brown Sugar, and her single “Loneliness (Will Bring Us Together Again)” reached No. 44 on the Billboard R&B charts in 1973.

King was born in Dallas, Texas, and after her mother’s death was raised by her older sister. After starting to sing in the local church, she moved with her family to Los Angeles in the early 1950s. Discovered by songwriter Richard Berry, King began her recording career in 1956 with Little Clydie and the Teens; before she was a member of Ray Charles‘ Raelettes for three years and contributed to early 1960s recordings by producer Phil Spector. She recorded solo singles for Specialty Records, Kent Records and others. Her 1971 solo single “‘Bout Love” reached No. 45 on the R&B chart.^[5]Reviewing her 1972 debut album Direct Me, Robert Christgau wrote in Christgau’s Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981): “Clydie has a voice that’s more sly Diana than robust Martha and addresses the title plea to Gabriel Mekler, who (this time, anyway) proves neither as sly nor as robust as Berry Gordy.