L. C. McKinley

L. C. McKinley
Birth name Larry McKinley
Born October 22, 1918
Winona, Mississippi, United States
Died January 19, 1970 (aged 51)
East Chicago, Indiana, United States
Genres Chicago blues[1]
Occupation(s) Guitarist, singer
Instruments Guitar
Years active Late 1940s–early 1960s

L. C. McKinley (October 22, 1918 – January 19, 1970)[2] was an American Chicago blues guitarist. He worked with both Eddie Boyd and Ernest Cotton.[2] A performer on the Chicago blues scene, McKinley's major output was as a session musician on recordings primarily cut in the 1950s.[1]

McKinley also released a number of singles on various record labels.[1] His best known tracks included "Weeping Willow Blues" and "Nit Wit."[2] His guitar playing was influenced by T-Bone Walker.[3]

Biography

He was born Larry McKinley in Winona, Mississippi, United States.[1][2] According to the United States Census in 1940, McKinley was living in Vaiden, Mississippi, with his wife, Bessie, and two sons.[4] However, McKinley relocated to Chicago in 1941.[1] He began to get work and, by 1947, had started to play professionally in the Chicago area.[1][5] By the early 1950s, McKinley was a regular performer at the 708 Club, where he variously topped the bill or played accompaniment in the first half of 1954 with the Ernest Cotton Trio.[5]

He began a working association with Eddie Boyd in the early 1950s and, in 1952, McKinley and Cotton backed Boyd on the latter's recording of "Five Long Years".[1] It reached number one on the US Billboard R&B chart.[6] McKinley also undertook recording sessions with several of Chicago's better known blues musicians, including Curtis Jones.[1] In 1953 he recorded for Parrot Records, although his work was not released.[7] He signed to States Records in January 1954, who issued his "Companion Blues" later that year.[5]

In 1955, McKinley penned a recording contract with Vee-Jay Records.[7] His single "Strange Girl" / "She's Five Feet Three" was issued by them the same year.[8] Other tracks he recorded in that period, but were unissued at that time, included "Blue Evening", "Down With It", "Rosalie Blues", "Disgusted", and "Tortured Blues".[5][9] In 1959, Bea & Baby Records released his single "Nit Wit".[5]

McKinley made his last recordings in 1964, and they were released on the Sunnyland label in the UK.[3]

After leaving the music industry, he latterly worked as a presser for a dry cleaning outfit in East Chicago, Indiana.[5]

McKinley died in East Chicago in January 1970, aged 51.[2]

Discography

Singles

Year A-side B-side Record label
1954 "Companion Blues"[10] "Weeping Willow Blues" States
1955 "Strange Girl"[11] "She's Five Feet Three"[12] Vee-Jay
1955 "Lonely"[13] "I'm So Satisfied"[14] Vee-Jay
1959 "Nit Wit"[15] "Sharpest Man in Town"[3] Bea & Baby
1964 "Mind Your Business"[5] "So Strange" Sunnyland

Compilation albums

Year Title Record label
1982 Chicago Blues In The Groove[16] P-Vine Records
2002 Vee Jay Screaming Blues Guitar[17] P-Vine Records

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Leggett, Steve. "L.C. McKinley - Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Doc Rock. "The 1970s". The Dead Rock Stars Club. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "L.C. McKinley Sharpest Man In Town". Speedylive.net. 1969-01-19. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  4. ↑ "L C McKinley in the 1940 Census". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 "WangDangDula.com". Koti.mbnet.fi. 2010-05-08. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  6. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1988). Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Record Research, Inc. p. 52. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Vee-Jay Records | Big Road Blues". Sundayblues.org. 2008-09-14. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  8. ↑ "L C McKinley* - Strange Girl / She's Five Feet Three (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  9. ↑ "The United and States Labels Part II (1954-1957)". Hubcap.clemson.edu. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  10. ↑ Billboard - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. 1954-02-20. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  11. ↑ Billboard - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. 1955-03-26. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  12. ↑ "She's Five Feet Three (AKA Brown Skin Baby) - L.C. McKinley : Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  13. ↑ Billboard - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. 1955-11-12. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  14. ↑ Billboard - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. 1955-11-19. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  15. ↑ Billboard - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. 1959-10-26. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  16. ↑ "Chicago Blues In The Groove (1982)". Plixid.com. 2012-03-21. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  17. ↑ Leggett, Steve (2002-12-03). "Vee Jay Screaming Blues Guitar". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-03-14.

External links