Michigan Music History Podcast -- MMHP989 · Scott Baker, Gary Johnson, Fred Reif, Mike Beattie

Michigan Music History Podcast--Larry McCray--Insider Blues On Heartbreak City

·1 hr 16 min·5 clips

Larry McCray says Buddy Guy nudged him toward “A minor” mid-song and then stepped into the performance.

MMHP in the 989 records live from the Michigan Rock Legends Hall of Fame in Bay City, inside the Bay County Historical Museum. Scott Baker, Dr. J, Fred Reif, and Mr. Mike are in the room for a laid-back Michigan music conversation. Larry McRae is the guest. The talk starts with his next album, with a first single expected around April and a full release possibly in May. The host also points back to Blues Without You as a standout 2022 release. The conversation never settles in one place for long. It moves into older touring memories, including a night when McRae was asked to open a show but ended up playing solo acoustic instead of bringing the band. He had wanted to sit in for one number, but the plan shifted. The reaction from the other musicians was warm. Robert was more distant that night, while Richard and the rest of the band were congratulatory and glad to see him. Tab Benoit comes up next. McRae says he did a bunch of stuff with him in the summer, working in acoustic guitar settings. Albert King gets a long memory of his own. McRae calls him his guy and remembers sitting at the Blue City Cafe in Memphis while King joked from the door and teased him about his weight. The band history stays close to the surface. Jim Pugh, Kevin Hayes, and Richard Cousins are named as the talk moves through old lineups and who played with whom. The museum setting matters too. The Bay County Historical Museum and the Michigan Rock Legends Hall of Fame give the conversation a place to sit while the stories drift. Near the end, a song that had been waiting for Larry's album for a few years comes back into view. The speaker explains that it was demoed for Josh just before he went to Los Angeles, that Josh liked it, and that Larry and the speaker have stayed close since the 1990s, with Jay Monkadee and Left also coming up along the way.

As heard by us

A loose Michigan blues conversation that moves from a spring release to scene memories and local history.

The episode keeps its focus on Larry McCray's new album, with a spring release in view, a first single due around April, and a full drop possibly landing around May.

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Why you'd press play

Larry McCray talks a spring album rollout and the road memories around it.

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