Delbert McClinton
November 4, 1940
Lubbock, Texas, U.S.
Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Singer-songwriter, musician
Vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica
1962–present
Career[edit]
Early years[edit]
McClinton was born in Lubbock, Texas and moved with his family to Fort Worth, Texas when he was 11 years old.[2] He worked in a bar band, the Straitjackets, who backed Sonny Boy Williamson II, Howlin' Wolf, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Jimmy Reed. McClinton recorded several regional singles before hitting the national chart in 1962, playing harmonica on Bruce Channel's "Hey! Baby".[2] On a tour with Channel in the United Kingdom, McClinton instructed John Lennon on the finer points of blues harmonica playing.[6]
McClinton formed the Ron-Dels, sometimes called the Rondells, with Ronnie Kelly and Billy Wade Sanders.[7][8] The band had a chart single in 1965 with "If You Really Want Me To I'll Go".[9]
1970s[edit]
Relocating to Los Angeles in 1972, McClinton partnered with fellow Texan Glen Clark to perform a combination of country and soul music. They released two albums before splitting and McClinton embarked on a solo career.[2]
Emmylou Harris had a number 1 hit in 1978 with her recording of McClinton's composition "Two More Bottles of Wine", and a cover version of his "B Movie Boxcar Blues" was on the first album by the Blues Brothers, Briefcase Full of Blues.[2]
1980s and 1990s[edit]
McClinton's 1980 album, The Jealous Kind, contained his only Top 40 hit single, "Giving It Up for Your Love", which peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 35 Adult Contemporary.[10] He was inactive in the studio during much of the 1980s, though he toured heavily. McClinton closed the decade with the Grammy-nominated 1989 album Live from Austin, recorded during an appearance on the television program Austin City Limits and co-produced by sax sideman Don Wise, who went on to become a longtime fixture in the band.[2]
In 1991 McClinton won a Grammy Award for a duet with Bonnie Raitt, "Good Man, Good Woman", and reached the Top 5 of the Country chart with "Tell Me About It", a duet with Tanya Tucker.[2] He re-entered the Billboard charts in 1992 with the album Never Been Rocked Enough, which included the charting single "Every Time I Roll the Dice" and a cover of John Hiatt's "Have a Little Faith in Me".
McClinton recorded the song "Weatherman", which was played with the opening titles of the 1993 film Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray. The fledgling label Rising Tide Records released One of the Fortunate Few in 1997, before the label went out of business.[2]
2000–present[edit]
McClinton released two studio albums in the early 2000s for New West Records, which also issued Delbert McClinton Live in 2003, a compilation album of songs from his career. In 2006, he won a Grammy Award for his album Cost of Living in the category Best Contemporary Blues Album.[2]
Etta James included two McClinton songs on her 2003 album, Let's Roll.
McClinton was a judge for the fourth annual Independent Music Awards, presented to independent artists to support their careers.[11] He is featured in the documentary film Rocking the Boat: A Musical Conversation and Journey, by the filmmaker Jay Curlee.
McClinton performed on the Frankie Miller album Double Take, released in 2016; his voice is merged with Miller's in the song "Beginner at the Blues". His 2019 recording, Tall, Dark & Handsome, was chosen as a 'Favorite Blues Album' by AllMusic.[12] It was awarded the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.