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L. C. McKinley

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L. C. McKinley
Birth nameLarry McKinley
Born(1918-10-22)October 22, 1918
Winona, Mississippi, United States
DiedJanuary 19, 1970(1970-01-19) (aged 51)
East Chicago, Indiana, United States
GenresChicago blues[1]
Occupation(s)Guitarist, singer
InstrumentGuitar
Years activeLate 1940s–early 1960s

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

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

Biography

He was born Larry McKinley in Winona, Mississippi.[1] According to the United States Census in 1940, he was living in Vaiden, Mississippi, with his wife, Bessie, and two sons.[3] He relocated to Chicago in 1941.[1] He began to find work and by 1947 had started to play professionally in the Chicago area.[1][4] By the early 1950s, he 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.[4]

He began working with Eddie Boyd in the early 1950s. In 1952, McKinley and Cotton backed Boyd on the latter's recording of "Five Long Years",[1] which reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart.[5] 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, but these recordings were not released.[6] He signed with States Records in January 1954, which issued his "Companion Blues" later that year.[4]

In 1955, McKinley signed a recording contract with Vee-Jay Records,[6] which issued his single "Strange Girl", backed with "She's Five Feet Three", in the same year.[7] Other tracks he recorded in that period, which were unissued at that time, included "Blue Evening", "Down with It", "Rosalie Blues", "Disgusted", and "Tortured Blues".[4][8] In 1959, Bea & Baby Records released his single "Nit Wit".[4]

McKinley made his last recordings in 1964, which were released on the Sunnyland label in the UK.[2]

After leaving the music industry, he worked as a presser for a dry cleaning company in East Chicago, Indiana.[4]

McKinley died on January 19, 1970, aged 51. His cause of death was unknown.

Discography

Singles

Year A-side B-side Record label
1954 "Companion Blues"[9] "Weeping Willow Blues" States
1955 "Strange Girl"[10] "She's Five Feet Three"[11] Vee-Jay
1955 "Lonely"[12] "I'm So Satisfied"[13] Vee-Jay
1959 "Nit Wit"[14] "Sharpest Man in Town"[2] Bea & Baby
1964 "Mind Your Business"[4] "So Strange" Sunnyland

Compilation albums

Year Title Record label
1982 Chicago Blues in the Groove[15] P-Vine Records
2002 Vee Jay Screaming Blues Guitar[16] P-Vine Records

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Leggett, Steve. "L.C. McKinley – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  2. ^ a b c "L.C. McKinley Sharpest Man in Town". Speedylive.net. 1969-01-19. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  3. ^ "L C McKinley in the 1940 Census". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "WangDangDula.com". Koti.mbnet.fi. 2010-05-08. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1988). Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Record Research. p. 52. ISBN 0-89820-068-7. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ a b "Vee-Jay Records | Big Road Blues". Sundayblues.org. 2008-09-14. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  7. ^ "L C McKinley* – Strange Girl / She's Five Feet Three (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  8. ^ "The United and States Labels Part II (1954–1957)". Hubcap.clemson.edu. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  9. ^ Billboard – Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. 1954-02-20. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  10. ^ Billboard – Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. 1955-03-26. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  11. ^ "She's Five Feet Three (AKA Brown Skin Baby) – L.C. McKinley: Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  12. ^ Billboard – Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. 1955-11-12. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  13. ^ Billboard – Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. 1955-11-19. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  14. ^ Billboard – Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. 1959-10-26. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  15. ^ "Chicago Blues in the Groove (1982)". Plixid.com. 2012-03-21. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  16. ^ Leggett, Steve (2002-12-03). "Vee Jay Screaming Blues Guitar". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
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