“12 Years a Slave” director Steve McQueen was star-struck himself when he met a player from another numerically named Oscar contender, “20 Feet from Stardom.”
Spies said McQueen was shopping at Bloomingdale’s in LA when he spotted Merry Clayton from the music doc. He told her he loved her film, then wound up introducing its cast at a Billboard Power 100 event.
Steven Tyler also spontaneously sang “Gimme Shelter” to her at a MusiCares gala, since Clayton crooned on the 1969 Stones classic.