Delbert McClinton
(born 4 November 1940, in Lubbock, Texas) is a Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and musician. Active as a side-man since at least 1962 and as a band leader since 1972, he has recorded several major-label albums, and has charted singles on the Billboard Hot 100, Mainstream Rock Tracks, and Hot Country Songs charts. His highest-peaking single was "Tell Me About It", a 1992 duet with Tanya Tucker which reached #4 on the country charts.
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DELBERT MCCLINTON TICKETS
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Career
Category:Articles needing subsections
Delbert McClinton honed his craft working in a bar band, The Straitjackets, backing visiting blues giants such as
Sonny Boy Williamson II,
Howlin' Wolf,
Lightnin' Hopkins, and
Jimmy Reed. He made his first recordings as a member of the Ron-Dels and was noted for his distinctive
harmonica work on
Bruce Channel's 1962 hit "
Hey! Baby." A persistent urban legend holds that McClinton taught
John Lennon to play the harmonica, resulting in the sound heard on
The Beatles'
hit "
Love Me Do"; the two did meet, but Lennon already knew how to play the harmonica. Delbert is also an accomplished pianist.
Relocating to
Los Angeles in the early 1970s, McClinton emerged in a partnership with fellow
Texan Glen Clark, performing a combination of
country and
soul music. They achieved a degree of artistic success, releasing two albums before splitting, with McClinton embarking on a solo career.
Emmylou Harris had a number 1 hit in 1978 with his composition "
Two More Bottles of Wine," and McClinton's "B Movie Boxcar Blues" was covered on the first album by
The Blues Brothers,
Briefcase Full of Blues
. His 1980 album,
The Jealous Kind
, contained his only Top 40 hit single "Givin' It Up for Your Love", which peaked at #8 on the
Billboard Hot 100.
After a rest period during much of the '80s, McClinton made a welcome return in 1989 with the fiery album
Live From Austin
, taped during an
Austin City Limits appearance. During a private 1992 concert at a local bar in Dallas, he was inspired by Mel Fitzmundson to pen the hit "Leave Your Hat On". (please check this line because this particular song was written by Randy Newman, not Delbert). He won a 1991 Grammy for his duet with
Bonnie Raitt, "Good Man, Good Woman", and reached the Top 5 of the country charts with the
Tanya Tucker duet, "Tell Me About It." He recorded the opening title song "Weatherman" for the
Bill Murray film
Groundhog Day
. The fledgling
label Rising Tide offered
One of the Fortunate Few
in 1997, but the label quickly folded. In addition to releasing two new studio albums in the early 2000s,
New West Records issued
Delbert McClinton Live
in 2003, a compilation of songs from throughout his career.
In 2006 McClinton won a Grammy Award for his album
The Cost of Living
in the Best Contemporary Blues Album category. Mel Fitzmundson was present to accept the award in his absence due to a broken leg.
McClinton was also a judge for the 4th annual
Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.
[1]
McClinton is the star of the musical documentary: "
Rocking the Boat: A Musical Conversation and Journey" by Hawaii-based film maker
Jay Curlee. The feature includes interviews and performances by McClinton,
Marcia Ball,
Rodney Crowell, Stephen Bruton,
Wayne Toups, Jimmy Hall, Paul Thorn,
Jeffrey Steele, Mel Fitzmundson and Teresa James. Sometime author, musician, sheriff and 2006 Texas gubernatorial candidate
Kinky Friedman also stars. The film was selected by the 2007 USA Film Festival and 2007 Breckenridge Festival of Film, won Best Documentary Feature at the 2007 Woods Hole Film Festival and won Best Music Documentary at the 2007 Lone Star International Film Festival.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year
| Album
| Chart Positions
| Label
|
| US Blues
| US Country
| US
| US Indie
| US Internet
|
| 1972
| Delbert & Glen
|
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|
|
| Clean
|
| 1973
| Subject to Change
|
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|
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|
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| 1975
| Victim of Life's Circumstances
|
|
|
|
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| ABC
|
| 1976
| Genuine Cowhide
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1977
| Love Rustler
|
| 49
|
|
|
|
| 1978
| Second Wind
|
|
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|
| Mercury
|
| 1979
| Keeper of the Flame
|
|
| 146
|
|
|
| 1981
| Plain from the Heart
|
|
| 181
|
|
| Capitol
|
| 1987
| Honky Tonkin
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|
|
|
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| MCA
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| 1989
| Honky Tonkin
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|
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| Alligator
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| Live from Austin
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| 1990
| I'm with You
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| Curb
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| 1992
| Never Been Rocked Enough
|
|
| 118
|
|
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| 1993
| Feelin' Alright
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| Intermedia
|
| Delbert McClinton
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| Curb
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| 1994
| Shot from the Saddle
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|
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| Mercury
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| Honky Tonk 'n Blues
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|
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| MCA
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| 1995
| Let the Good Times Roll
|
|
|
|
|
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| 1997
| One of the Fortunate Few
| 2
| 15
| 116
|
|
| Rising Tide
|
| 2001
| Nothing Personal
| 1
| 20
| 103
| 3
| 9
| New West
|
| 2002
| Room to Breathe
| 1
| 12
| 84
| 3
| 14
|
| 2003
| Live
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| 44
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| 31
|
|
| 2005
| Cost of Living
| 1
| 14
| 105
| 16
| 4
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| 2006
| Live from Austin, TX
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| 2007
| Rockin' Blues
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| Direct Source
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| 2009
| Acquired Taste
| 1
|
| 131
| 23
|
| New West
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Compilations
| Year
| Album
| Label
|
| 1978
| Very Early Delbert McClinton
| Lecam
|
| 1989
| The Best of Delbert McClinton
| Curb
|
| 1994
| Classics, Volume 1
| Capitol
|
| Classics, Vol. 2: Plain from the Heart
| Curb
|
| 1995
| Great Songs: Come Together
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| 1999
| Crazy Cajun Recordings
| Edsel
|
| The Ultimate Collection
| Hip-O
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| 2000
| Don't Let Go: The Collection
| Music Club
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| Genuine Rhythm & the Blues
| Hip-O
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| 2003
| 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection:
The Best of Delbert McClinton
| MCA
|
| 2006
| The Definitive Collection
| Hip-O
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Singles
| Year
| Single
| Chart Positions
| Album
|
| US
| US Country
| US MSR
| CAN
| CAN Country
|
| 1972
| "I Received a Letter" (credited to Delbert & Glen)
| 90
| —
| —
| —
| —
| Delbert & Glen
|
| 1980
| "Giving It Up for Your Love"
| 8
| —
| —
| 10
| —
| The Jealous Kind
|
| 1981
| "Shotgun Rider"
| 70
| —
| —
| —
| —
| Plain from the Heart
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| 1990
| "I'm with You"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| I'm with You
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| 1992
| "Every Time I Roll the Dice"
| —
| —
| 13
| 40
| —
| Never Been Rocked Enough
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| 1995
| "Come Together"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| Come Together: America Salutes the Beatles
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| 1997
| "Sending Me Angels"
| —
| 65
| —
| —
| 92
| One of the Fortunate Few
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| 2001
| "When Rita Leaves"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| Nothing Personal
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| 2002
| "Same Kind of Crazy"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| Room to Breathe
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| 2002
| "Lone Star Blues"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
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| 2005
| "One of the Fortunate Few"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| Cost of Living
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| "I Had a Real Good Time"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
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| 2006
| "Midnight Communion"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
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| 2009
| "Starting a Rumor"A
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| Acquired Taste
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Guest singles
| Year
| Single
| Artist
| Chart Positions
| Album
|
| US Country
| CAN Country
|
| 1992
| "Tell Me About It"
| Tanya Tucker
| 4
| 3
| Can't Run from Yourself
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References
- Independent Music Awards - Past Judges