Not only is Alabama-born
Jerry McCain a terrific amplified harpist, he's also one of the funniest songwriters working the genre and has been for more than four decades, as anyone who's dug his out-of-control 1950s Excello rockers "My Next Door Neighbor" and "Trying to Please" will gladly testify.
McCain was born on June 18, 1930, in Gadsden, AL. As a youngster,
Little Walter was
McCain's main man on harp, an instrument
McCain began playing at age five.
Walter passed through Gadsden one fateful night in 1953 with his
Aces, offering encouragement and a chance to jam at a local nightspot. That same year,
"Boogie" McCain made his vinyl debut for
Lillian McMurray's Trumpet label in Jackson, MS, with "East of the Sun"/"Wine-O-Wine" and his brother,
Walter McCain, playing drums on the sides.
McCain's 1954 Trumpet encore, "Stay Out of Automobiles"/"Love to Make Up," was solid Southern blues, but barely hinted at the galvanic energy of his subsequent output.
Jerry McCain signed with
Ernie Young's Nashville-based Excello logo in 1955, cutting "That's What They Want" with his usual sidekick
Christopher Collins on guitar. "Run, Uncle John! Run," "Trying to Please," the torrid "My Next Door Neighbor" (a prior homemade demo version of the track that surfaced much later was even crazier), and "The Jig's Up" ranked with
McCain's best 1955-1957 Excello efforts.
The harpist is probably best-known for his two-sided 1960 gem for Rex Records, "She's Tough"/"Steady."
The Fabulous Thunderbirds later appropriated the insinuating mid-tempo A-side, while
McCain's harp chops were strikingly showcased on the flip.
McCain waxed three 45s for OKeh in Nashville in 1962, utilizing Music Row mainstays
Floyd Cramer,
Grady Martin, and
Boots Randolph as his backup for "Red Top" and "Jet Stream." A series of 1965-1968 sides for
Stan Lewis' Shreveport-based Jewel Records included a tailor-made tribute to the company, "728 Texas (Where the Action Is)" (Jewel's address).
After too many years spent in relative obscurity,
McCain rejuvenated his fortunes in 1989 by signing with Ichiban Records and releasing
Blues 'n' Stuff, followed three years later by
Struttin' My Stuff and
Love Desperado. In 2000,
McCain released an all-star album
This Stuff Just Kills Me for the Jericho label featuring
Johnnie Johnson,
John Primer,
Anson Funderburgh,
Jimmie Vaughan, along with the
Double Trouble rhythm section of
Tommy Shannon and
Chris Layton.
McCain resurfaced on Ichiban in 2002 with the release of American Roots: Blues.
–
Bill Dahl and Al Campbell, Rovi