Cash McCall (musician)
Cash McCall | |
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![]() McCall in 1978 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Morris Dollison Jr. |
Born | New Madrid, Missouri, United States | January 28, 1941
Died | April 20, 2019 Merrillville, Indiana, United States | (aged 78)
Genres | Electric blues[1] |
Occupation(s) | Guitarist, singer, songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
Years active | 1963–2019 |
Website | https://www.cashmccallmusic.com/ |
Cash McCall (born Morris Dollison Jr., January 28, 1941 - April 20, 2019) was an American electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was best known for his 1966 R&B hit "When You Wake Up". Over his long career, his musical style evolved from gospel music to soul music to the blues.[1]
Biography
McCall was born in New Madrid, Missouri. He joined the United States Army and then settled in Chicago, where he had lived for a period as a child. In 1964, he played guitar and sang, alongside Otis Clay, with the Gospel Songbirds, who recorded for Excello Records. Cash later joined another gospel singing ensemble, the Pilgrim Jubilee Singers.[1]
Billed under his birth name, his debut solo single release was "Earth Worm" (1963). Three years later he co-wrote "When You Wake Up" with the record producer Monk Higgins. His initial soul-styled demo was issued by Thomas Records, which billed him as Cash McCall.[1][2] The song reached number 19 on the US Billboard R&B chart.[3] This led to McCall touring with Lou Christie and Mitch Ryder in Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars. However, subsequent releases for both Thomas and Checker Records failed to chart.[1] These included the song "It's Wonderful to Be in Love".[4] In 1967, McCall co-wrote "That's How It Is (When You're in Love)", a Top 30 R&B hit for Otis Clay.[5][6]
Under the tutelage of Willie Dixon, McCall went on to become a session musician and songwriter for Chess Records.[1] In the late 1960s, McCall, along with Jimmy Dawkins and Johnny Twist, played guitar on some early recordings by George "Wild Child" Butler.[7]
McCall gravitated towards the blues in the 1970s. He recorded the album Omega Man (1973) before relocating to Los Angeles in 1976. He recorded the album No More Doggin', released in 1983.[1] In 1985, McCall and his band appeared at the Long Beach Blues Festival. In 1987, Stony Plain Records released the album Cash Up Front. The collection included accompaniment by such notables such Nathan East and Welton Gite (bass); Chuck Findley (flugelhorn, trumpet); Les McCann and Richard Tee (piano); Phil Upchurch (rhythm guitar); and Hank Cicalo (sound engineer) and Bernie Grundman (mastering).[8]
McCall co-produced Willie Dixon's Grammy Award–winning Hidden Charms (1988) and played in Dixon's All-Stars band. Since then he has toured as a solo artist and appeared with the Chicago Rhythm and Blues Kings, for which he has written several songs. He has also provided backing to the singer known as Big Twist and performed in the Chicago Blues Review.[1] McCall's songs have been recorded by the Blind Boys of Alabama, the Mighty Reapers, Margie Evans, Tyrone Davis and Mitty Collier.[9]
In 2018, McCall and longtime friend and fellow Chicago musician Benny Turner reunited in the studio to record Going Back Home.[10] It was released in January 2019. Just months later, on April 20, 2019, McCall died from lung cancer.[11]
Discography
Singles
Titles | Record label | Year of release |
---|---|---|
"You Can't Take Love" / "Let's Get a Thing Going On" | Thomas 310 | 1966 |
"You Mean Everything to Me" / "That Lucky Old Sun" | Thomas 311 | 1966 |
"Let's Try It Over" / "It's Wonderful (To Be in Love)" | Thomas 312 | 1966 |
"I'm in Danger" / "S. O. S." | Checker 1184 | 1967 |
"We've Come a Long Way Together" / "It's Not How Good You Make It" | Checker 1216 | 1969 |
"I'll Always Love You" / "More Power to You" | PS Records 501 | 1969 |
Albums
Album title | Record label | Year of release |
---|---|---|
Omega Man | Paula Records | 1973 |
No More Doggin' | L & R Records | 1983 |
Cash Up Front | Stony Plain Records | 1987 |
Going Back Home (with Benny Turner)
(Includes Cash's original song "Money") |
Nola Blue Records | 2019 |
Compilation albums
Album title | Record label | Year of release |
---|---|---|
Blues Classics | L & R Records | 1996 |
The Best of Cash McCall | Snowball Records | 2007 |
As sideman
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2013) |
With Dorothy Ashby
- The Rubaiyat of Dorothy Ashby (Cadet, 1970)[14]
With Howlin' Wolf
- Message to the Young (Chess, 1971) - producer, arranger and conductor
With Jack McDuff
- Gin and Orange (Cadet, 1969)[15]
With Phil Upchurch
- The Way I Feel (Cadet, 1970)[16]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Dahl, Bill. "Cash McCall". Allmusic.com. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- ^ Pruter, Robert (1991). Chicago Soul. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press. p. 167. ISBN 0-252-06259-0.
- ^ Dahl, Bill. "Cash McCall: Awards". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
- ^ "'It's Wonderful to Be in Love', Cash McCall (Thomas 1966)". CashMcCall.com. 2010-02-18. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
- ^ Pruter, Robert (1991). Chicago Soul. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press. p. 221. ISBN 0-252-06259-0.
- ^ Dahl, Bill. "Otis Clay: Awards". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
- ^ Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. p. 97. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
- ^ "Cash McCall, Cash up Front: Credits". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
- ^ "Cash McCall: Songs". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
- ^ "Going Back Home". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
- ^ "Nola Blue Records on Facebook". Facebook.com. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
- ^ "Cash McCall | Discography". AllMusic. 1941-01-28. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
- ^ "Cash McCall | Discography". AllMusic. 1941-01-28. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
- ^ Thom Jurek. "The Rubaiyat of Dorothy Ashby - Dorothy Ashby | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
- ^ "Gin and Orange - Jack McDuff | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
- ^ "The Way I Feel - Phil Upchurch | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
- 1941 births
- 2019 deaths
- People from New Madrid, Missouri
- American blues singers
- American blues guitarists
- American male guitarists
- American male singers
- Songwriters from Missouri
- Electric blues musicians
- Singers from Chicago
- Singers from Missouri
- Songwriters from Illinois
- Guitarists from Chicago
- Guitarists from Missouri
- 20th-century American guitarists
- 20th-century American male musicians