Larry McCray
Encyclopedia
Larry McCray is an American
blues
guitarist
and singer.
from his sister, Clara. "She used to play real low-down and dirty", McCray recalled years later. His family moved to Saginaw
, Michigan
in 1972, and McCray took the influence of his sibling, and such as the three Kings (B.B., Freddie
and Albert
) to playing the local club circuit, with his brothers Carl on bass guitar
and Steve on drum
s.
After high school
, McCray worked on General Motors
' assembly line, before recording
Ambition, his 1991 debut album
for Point Blank Records
, in a Detroit friend's basement recording studio
. He was soon touring with his label
-mate, Albert Collins
. His 1993 follow-up, Delta Hurricane, was produced
by the veteran British
blues devotee, Mike Vernon
.
In 1999, McCray recorded a cover version
of Bob Dylan
's "All Along the Watchtower
" for the tribute album
, Tangled Up in Blues
. In 2000, McCray founded his own independent record label, Magnolia Records, and Believe It was its first release that same year. Magnolia released McCray's first live album
, Live on Interstate 75, in mid 2006, and this was followed in 2007 with Larry McCray.
His most recent tour commenced in Chicago
on December 11, 2009.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and singer.
Biography
McCray, the second youngest of nine siblings, grew up living on a farm. McCray learned guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
from his sister, Clara. "She used to play real low-down and dirty", McCray recalled years later. His family moved to Saginaw
Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
in 1972, and McCray took the influence of his sibling, and such as the three Kings (B.B., Freddie
Freddie King
Freddie King , thought to have been born as Frederick Christian, originally recording as Freddy King, and nicknamed "the Texas Cannonball", was an influential African-American blues guitarist and singer. He is often mentioned as one of "the Three Kings" of electric blues guitar, along with Albert...
and Albert
Albert King
Albert King was an American blues guitarist and singer, and a major influence in the world of blues guitar playing.-Career:...
) to playing the local club circuit, with his brothers Carl on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and Steve on drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s.
After high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, McCray worked on General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
' assembly line, before recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
Ambition, his 1991 debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
for Point Blank Records
Point Blank Records
Point Blank Records is a record label subsidiary of Virgin Records.Point Blank Records was founded in 1998 by John Wooler. Wooler served as Deputy Head of A&R at Virgin Records UK from 1984-1994 and Senior Vice President of Virgin Records US from 1994-2002. He had a passion for blues, Americana...
, in a Detroit friend's basement recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
. He was soon touring with his label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
-mate, Albert Collins
Albert Collins
Albert Collins was an American electric blues guitarist and singer whose recording career began in the 1960s in Houston and whose fame eventually took him to stages across the US, Europe, Japan and Australia...
. His 1993 follow-up, Delta Hurricane, was produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by the veteran British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
blues devotee, Mike Vernon
Mike Vernon (producer)
Mike Vernon is an English record producer. He produced albums for British blues artists and groups during the late 1960s, working with the Bluesbreakers, David Bowie, Duster Bennett, Savoy Brown, Chicken Shack, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green, Danny Kirwan, John Mayall, Christine McVie and...
.
In 1999, McCray recorded a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's "All Along the Watchtower
All Along the Watchtower
"All Along the Watchtower" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. The song, which has been included on most of Dylan's greatest hits compilations, initially appeared on his 1967 album John Wesley Harding. Over the past 35 years, he has performed it in concert more...
" for the tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
, Tangled Up in Blues
Tangled Up In Blues
Tangled Up in Blues: Songs of Bob Dylan is a 1999 album of Bob Dylan songs performed in blues and soul styles by various artists. The album's title is a play on the Dylan song title "Tangled Up in Blue"....
. In 2000, McCray founded his own independent record label, Magnolia Records, and Believe It was its first release that same year. Magnolia released McCray's first live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
, Live on Interstate 75, in mid 2006, and this was followed in 2007 with Larry McCray.
His most recent tour commenced in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
on December 11, 2009.
Discography
- Ambition (1990)
- Delta Hurricane (1993)
- Meet Me at The Lake (1996)
- Born to Play the Blues (1998)
- Believe It (2000)
- Blues is my Business (2001)
- Live on Interstate 75 (2006)
- Larry McCray (2007)
External links
- Official website
- [ Biography] at Allmusic