Larry McCray "Live On Interstate 75"

Existem músicas e existem "músicas".

Desde que conheço um pouco de Blues, fui sempre em busca da essência da história e saber como nasceu, quais foram seus primeiros ícones e quem trouxe até hoje essa forma de expressão tão sofrida e ao mesmo tempo tão linda.

Já viajei pelo delta do mississipi, passeei por plantações de algodão e acompanhei trilhos de trem plantados com suor e sangue de negros escravizados e obrigados à aquela missão tão inglória, mas que ao invés de tirar deles sua moral e honra, os fez mais fortes ainda.

Fortes ao ponto de enquanto morriam ou esperavam a morte, compunham hinos, spirituals, blues e lamentos para suportarem as torturas e as dores infligidas por outros que se achavam no direito de tratá-los como animais só por causa da cor da pele ser negra e eles não!

Com o tempo o Blues além de lendário e místico foi se tornando universal e vários humanos de outras "cores" que não os negros passaram a compor, tocar e até cantar e conseguiram se não superar chegar ao mesmo nível como já disse aqui anteriormente "n" vezes de Warren Haynes e uma de minhas preferidas sempre foi "Soulshine" à qual não busquei com afinco a origem.




Hoje acordando como sempre saudoso e um pouco entristecido (coisa de lobo viu?) fui divagando e escutando sons pela alcatéia qdo me encontro com o "negro" Larry McCray e me lembrei de sua versão para soulshine, só que mais atento, percebi que a música é de sua autoria junto ao Haynes e aí uni o útil ao agradável, minha dor interior, meus lamentos em forma de uivos que ecoam pela floresta e a alegria da descoberta.

Que bom, uma música que adoro, um músico que admiro, um lendário bluesman e a sonoridade a reverberar.

Aqui está o disco onde ela saiu com seu autor, e ainda com um presente, colei aqui no post as capas de uma versão do cd e outra tb original vai junto ao arquivo, pra aqueles como eu que gostam de colecionar material, fica uma bela obra, espero gostem e curtam como eu.If contemporary blues has a long-term future in the 21st century, it's very likely that guitarist Larry McCray will continue to play a recurring role in its ongoing development.

Beginning with this 1990 debut album, Ambition, and continuing into the new millennium, McCray has signaled both a strong commitment to the tradition and the vision to usher the genre in exciting new directions.

McCray's first influence on guitar was none other than his sister, Clara, who toured regionally around Arkansas with her own combo, the Rockets.

Clara never got to record her Freddie King-styled blues for posterity -- but her little brother has at least partially made up for that omission. Larry followed Clara up to Saginaw, Michigan in 1972.
She turned him on to the joys of the three Kings (B.B., Freddie, and Albert), Albert Collins, and Magic Sam, and Larry added superheated rock licks (à la Jimi Hendrix and the Allman Brothers) to his arsenal as he began playing the local circuit with his brothers Carl on bass and Steve on drums.

Working on General Motors' assembly line occupied a great deal of Larry McCray's time after he finished high school.

But he eventually found enough free hours to put together Ambition for Point Blank in a Detroit friend's basement studio.

The stunning debut set was a convincing hybrid of blues, rock, and soul, McCray combining the interrelated idioms in sizzling fashion. Suddenly, the stocky young guitarist was touring with labelmate Albert Collins.His 1993 Point Blank encore, Delta Hurricane, was a slicker affair produced by veteran British blues maven Mike Vernon that McCray much preferred to his homemade debut.

He followed Delta Hurricane with Meet Me at the Lake in 1996 and Born to Play the Blues in 1998.

The bluesman has remained active in the 2000s with albums including 2001's Believe It and Blues Is My Business, 2006's Live on Interstate 75 (his first live outing, recorded in Detroit), and the eponymous Larry McCray in 2007.Review

by Chris Nickson

If you want high-energy guitar blues mixed with some surprisingly soulful vocals, look no further than Larry McCray.

His first live album, recorded in Detroit, covers the rich bases of his live act, from the guitar pyrotechnics of "Man on Bended Knees," where you can almost hear the ghost of Hendrix hovering above the stage, to the soul of "Believe It."

His backing trio does exactly what's expected, they hit the groove perfectly on each number, leaving McCray in the spotlight, which is where he belongs (although he does share it with Lucky Peterson on "Four Little Boys," a powerhouse 11-minute track).But there are several facets to McCray's music.

He can turn in a good blues ballad on "Gone for Good" or look to both the church and reggae for inspiration on "Somebody's Watching."

You come away from the experience of this live disc wondering why McCray isn't a major blues star.

He deserves to be.Discography
Ambition (1990)
Delta Hurricane (1993)
Meet Me at The Lake (1996)
Born to Play the Blues (1998)
Believe It (2000)
Blues is my Business (2001)
Live on Interstate 75 (2006)
Larry McCray (2007)Tracklist

1. Delta Hurricane

2. Man On Bended Knees

3. Gone for Good

4. Witchin' Moon

5. Four Nickels

6. Believe It

7. Blue River

8. Somebody's Watching

9. Blues Is My Business

10. Four Little Boys

11. Nobody Never Hurt Nobody with the Blues

12. Soul Shine

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!