Jerry McCain

Born near Gadsden, Alabama, United States, he was one of five children of a poor family. Many of his siblings also became involved in music, most notably his brother, Walter, who played drums on some early recordings.^[1] McCain picked up the harmonica from itinerant musicians "Chick" and "Shorty" who played at the local bars (and street corners) when he was young.

McCain was a fan of the music of Little Walter and met the artist when, in 1953, he traveled to Gadsden for a show.^[1] McCain's recording debut came via Trumpet Records the same year under the name "Boogie McCain", with his brother Walter on drums. The two tracks were "East of the Sun" and "Wine-O-Wine". After recruiting Christopher Collins, who would be with him throughout most of his career, he went on to the Excello label. During his years with Excello (1955–57) he developed his amplified harmonica style, and unusual blues lyrics. The Excello label period saw the release of such noted songs as "The Jig's Up", and "My Next Door Neighbor". His later recording for Rex Records "She's Tough" b/w "Steady" was an inspiration to The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and Kim Wilson duplicated McCain's harp work on their version.^[1]

McCain also released singles and albums for Columbia, under their Okeh Records record label (1962), and for the Shreveport-based Jewel label (1965–68).^[1] The complete collection of his Jewel recordings are available on a compilation album and, in recent years, several of his early recordings have been released on "retrospective" compilation CDs, including the Varese Vintage album, Good Stuff!. His longest recording partner, Ichiban, also released several compilations in 1990s, including Jerry McCain (Retrospectives) (ICH-1516).

In 1989, after a period spent performing and touring with lesser known bands, McCain signed with Ichiban, and released the albums: Blues 'n' Stuff, Struttin' My Stuff, Love Desperado, and I've Got the Blues All Over Me. During his time with Ichiban, McCain also released one record on the Jericho label, This Stuff Just Kills Me, which featured John Primer, Jimmie Vaughan, and Johnnie Johnson.^[1] This 1999 release, This Stuff Just Kills Me eventually appeared on the Music Maker label.

In 2002, Ichiban released an album called Jerry McCain (American Roots: Blues).^[1] McCain's abridged work was featured on track 8 of the Rhino Records Blues Masters, Volume Four: Harmonica Classics, with an almost lost recording of "Steady". McCain's inclusion in the Blues Master series, was alongside Little Walter, Jimmy Reed, Junior Wells, Howlin' Wolf, Snooky Pryor, and George "Harmonica" Smith.

The City of Gadsden honored McCain by including his own day at their annual Riverfest Event;^[4] a four-day music event. The addition of The Jerry McCain Broad Street Blues Bash rounded out the entertainment and allowed many local citizens to experience McCain. A commemorative CD, featuring some of McCain's music, was compiled for sale at the 1997 Riverfest Event. In 1996, McCain was selected by the Etowah Youth Orchestras as the most well-known musician from Gadsden. The EYO commissioned the composer Julius Williams to write a work for solo harmonica and orchestra, to be performed by McCain and the Etowah Youth Symphony Orchestra, as a part of the City of Gadsden's Sesquicentennial Celebration. "Concerto for Blues Harmonica and Orchestra" was premiered in November 1996, on the EYO's Fall Formal Concert at Wallace Hall, on the campus of Gadsden State Community College. McCain performed the solo harmonica part with the EYSO, under the direction of Michael R. Gagliardo. The "Concerto" was subsequently performed in Alice Tully Hall, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City in June 1997, with McCain, the EYSO, and Julius Williams conducting.

• 1973 : Jerry McCain (Romulus R-108)
• 1978 : Living Legend (Zeus S-1021)
• 1979 : Blues on the Move (Robox EQL-1912)
• 1979 : Choo Choo Rock (White Label WLP-9966) 1955 demo recordings for Excello
• 1980 : Black & Blues (Gas Company GAS-1001) reissued as Black Blues is Back in 1989
• 1981 : Southern Harp, Cadillac & the Blues (P-Vine [Japan] PLP-715)
• 1986 : Bad Blues is My Business (Bad Records BAD-30001)
• 1987 : Midnight Beat (Charly [UK] CRB-1148)
• 1989 : Blues 'n' Stuff (Ichiban ICHCD-1047)
• 1991 : Love Desperado (Ichiban/Wild Dog ICHCD-9008)
• 1991 : Rockin' Harmonica Blues Man with Kid Thomas (Wolf WBJ-018)
• 1992 : Struttin' My Stuff (Ichiban/Wild Dog ICH-9020)
• 1993 : Jerry 'Boogie' McCain: Strange Kind of Feelin' with Tiny Kennedy and Clayton Love (Alligator ALCD-2701) early 50s recordings
• 1993 : I've Got the Blues All Over Me (Ichiban/Wild Dog ICH-9106)
• 1995 : That's What They Want: The Best of Jerry McCain (AVI/Excello CD-3009) all Excello material; tracks 1 to 12 recorded at Nashboro Studios, Nashville, TN, 1956–1957; tracks 13 to 23 are demos recorded in McCain's living room in Gadsden, AL, 1955.
• 1996 : Turn Your Damper Down (Black & Allright LP-001)
• 1997 : Rock 'n' Roll Ball (Atomic Bomb LP-701)
• 1997 : Broad Street Blues Bash (Riverfest CD-001)
• 1998 : The Jig's Up: Complete 50s Recordings (JMC CD-2111)
• 1998 : Jerry McCain (Retrospectives) (Ichiban ICH-1516)
• 1999 : This Stuff Just Kills Me (Jericho/Music Maker 90005)
• 1999 : Good Stuff! (Varèse Sarabande/Varèse Vintage VSD-6022)
• 2000 : Somebody's Been Talking: The Complete Jewel Singles 1965–72 (Westside WESM-625)
• 2000 : Soul Shag (Sterling [UK] 20702)
• 2000 : Southern Harp Attack with Frank Frost (P-Vine [Japan] PCD-24047)
• 2001 : Unplugged (Music Maker MMCD-21)
• 2001 : Absolutely the Best: Complete Jewel Singles 1965–1972 (Varèse Sarabande/Fuel 2000 [03020 61098 25])
• 2002 : Jerry McCain (American Roots: Blues) (Ichiban CD-01018)
• 2003 : Boogie is My Name (Music Maker MMCD-34)
• 2008 : Better Late Than Never: The Greatest Hits (Boogie Down Records CD-2008)
• 2021 : Tough Stuff: The Hot Harmonica Singles of Jerry McCain 1953–1962 (Jasmine JASMCD-3154) includes all his singles (A & B sides) for Trumpet (except 218), Excello, Rex, and OKeh (except 7170) Records.

^[5]

• Jerry McCain at AllMusic
• Music Maker