L. C. McKinley
L. C. McKinley | |
---|---|
Birth name | Luke C. McKinley[1] |
Born | Winona, Mississippi, U.S. | October 22, 1918
Died | January 19, 1970 East Chicago, Indiana, U.S. | (aged 51)
Genres | Chicago blues[2] |
Occupation(s) | Guitarist, singer |
Instrument(s) | Guitar |
Years active | Late 1940s–early 1960s |
L. C. McKinley (October 22, 1918 – January 19, 1970)[2][1][3] was an American Chicago blues guitarist. He worked with Eddie Boyd and Ernest Cotton. A performer in the Chicago blues scene, McKinley's major output was as a session musician on recordings made mostly in the 1950s.[2]
He also released a number of singles on various record labels.[2] His best-known tracks include "Weeping Willow Blues" and "Nit Wit." His guitar playing was influenced by T-Bone Walker.[4]
Biography
He was born Luke C. McKinley
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",[2] which reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart.[7] McKinley also undertook recording sessions with several of Chicago's better-known blues musicians, including Curtis Jones.[2] In 1953 he recorded for Parrot Records, but these recordings were not released.[8] He signed with States Records in January 1954, which issued his "Companion Blues" later that year.[6]
In 1955, McKinley signed a recording contract with Vee-Jay Records,[8] which issued his single "Strange Girl", backed with "She's Five Feet Three", in the same year.[9] 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".[6][10] In 1959, Bea & Baby Records released his single "Nit Wit".[6]
McKinley made his last recordings in 1964, which were released on the Sunnyland label in the UK.[4]
After leaving the music industry, he worked as a presser for a dry cleaning company in East Chicago, Indiana.[6]
McKinley died in East Chicago, Indiana, on January 19, 1970, aged 51.[1] His cause of death is unknown.
Discography
Singles
Year | A-side | B-side | Record label |
---|---|---|---|
1954 | "Companion Blues"[11] | "Weeping Willow Blues" | States |
1955 | "Strange Girl"[12] | "She's Five Feet Three"[13] | Vee-Jay |
1955 | "Lonely"[14] | "I'm So Satisfied"[15] | Vee-Jay |
1959 | "Nit Wit"[16] | "Sharpest Man in Town"[4] | Bea & Baby |
1964 | "Mind Your Business"[6] | "So Strange" | Sunnyland |
Compilation albums
Year | Title | Record label |
---|---|---|
1982 | Chicago Blues in the Groove[17] | P-Vine Records |
2002 | Vee Jay Screaming Blues Guitar[18] | P-Vine Records |
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Illustrated L.C. McKinley discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Leggett, Steve. "L.C. McKinley – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
- ^ Rock, Doc. "The Dead Rock Stars Club – The 1970s". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
- ^ a b c "L.C. McKinley Sharpest Man in Town". Speedylive.net. 1969-01-19. Archived from the original on 2013-04-13. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
- ^ "L C McKinley in the 1940 Census". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
- ^ a b c d e f g "WangDangDula.com". Koti.mbnet.fi. 2010-05-08. Archived from the original on 2015-05-04. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
- ^
Whitburn, Joel (1988). Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Record Research. p. 52. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
- ^ a b "Vee-Jay Records | Big Road Blues". Sundayblues.org. 2008-09-14. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
- ^ "L C McKinley* – Strange Girl / She's Five Feet Three (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
- ^ "The United and States Labels Part II (1954–1957)". Hubcap.clemson.edu. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
- ^ Billboard – Google Books. 1954-02-20. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
- ^ Billboard –. Nielsen Business Media. 1955-03-26. p. 142. Retrieved 2013-03-14 – via Internet Archive.
L. C. McKinley.
- ^ "She's Five Feet Three (AKA Brown Skin Baby) – L.C. McKinley: Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
- ^ Billboard – Google Books. 1955-11-12. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
- ^ Billboard – Google Books. 1955-11-19. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
- ^ Billboard –. Nielsen Business Media. 1959-10-26. p. 48. Retrieved 2013-03-14 – via Internet Archive.
L. C. McKinley.
- ^ "Chicago Blues in the Groove (1982)". Plixid.com. 2012-03-21. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
- ^ Leggett, Steve (2002-12-03). "Vee Jay Screaming Blues Guitar". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
External links
- McKinley discography Archived 2015-05-04 at the Wayback Machine