Kevin McKendree (born April 27, 1969)
is an American
electric blues pianist, keyboardist, guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to having a lengthy and varied career as a
session musician
Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...
, McKendree has released two solo albums.
Life and career
Born Kevin Yates McKendree, in
Nuremberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
, Germany,
he is a self-taught pianist and guitarist, initially utilizing the playing of
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...
,
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
and
B.B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...
as inspiration. When he was 17, he became a professional musician and worked around the
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
area playing alongside
Big Joe Maher
Joseph W. Maher (born c. 1953), known as Big Joe Maher, is an American electric blues drummer, singer and songwriter. He is known for his jump blues group called Big Joe & the Dynaflows. He has worked with many blues musicians including Delbert ...
,
Tom Principato
Tom Principato (born 1952) is an American electric blues and blues rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter.
Principato has recorded more than twenty albums over the years. One of his most recent releases, ''Robert Johnson Told Me So'' (2013), fe ...
,
Bob Margolin
Bob Margolin (born May 9, 1949) is an American electric blues guitarist. His nickname is Steady Rollin'.
Biography
Margolin started playing guitar in 1964, and his first appearance on record was with Boston psychedelic band The Freeborne, and the ...
and Mark Wenner. However, he also worked as a piano salesman to supplement his income.
He relocated to
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
in 1995, and secured a job backing
Lee Roy Parnell
Lee Roy Parnell (born December 21, 1956) is an American country music and blues artist, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Active since 1990, he has recorded eight studio albums, and has charted more than twenty singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot C ...
as part of his band known as the Hot Links.
McKendree co-wrote and co-produced the instrumental track "Mama, Screw Your Wig On Tight," which appeared on Parnell's 1997 album, ''
Every Night's a Saturday Night
''Every Night's a Saturday Night'' is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Lee Roy Parnell. It was released via Career Records, a sister label of Arista Nashville, on June 17, 1997. The album includes the singles "Lucky Me, Luc ...
''. The piece was nominated for a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
in 1997 for
Best Country Instrumental.
In 1997, McKendree toured with
Delbert McClinton
Delbert McClinton (born November 4, 1940) is an American blues rock and electric blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, harmonica player, and pianist.
From his first professional stage appearance in 1957 to his most recent national tour in 2018, ...
as his band leader,
and played piano and
Hammond B3 organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs ...
on McClinton's albums ''Nothing Personal'' (2001) and ''Cost of Living'' (2005), both of which won a
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
, and ''
Room to Breathe'' (2002) which was nominated for a similar award.
Also McKendree worked in the recording studio backing a diverse array of musicians including
Anson Funderburgh
Anson Funderburgh (born James Anson Funderburgh; November 14, 1954) is an American blues guitar player and bandleader of Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets since 1978. Their style incorporates both Chicago blues and Texas blues.
Career
Funderburg ...
and
Seven Mary Three
Seven Mary Three (occasionally abbreviated to 7 Mary 3 or 7M3) was an American rock band. They released seven studio albums and one live album, and are best known for their hit single "Cumbersome".
Career Formation
Seven Mary Three formed in 1 ...
(''
The Economy of Sound
''The Economy of Sound'' is the fifth studio album by American post-grunge band Seven Mary Three. It was released on , 2001, on Mammoth Records. The album peaked at #178 on the ''Billboard'' 200 on June 23, 2001.
The album's ''Billboard''-cha ...
'', ''
Orange Ave.
''Orange Ave.'' is the fourth studio album by American post-grunge band Seven Mary Three. It was released on July 14, 1998, on Atlantic Records. The album peaked at #121 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The album is named after a street running throu ...
''), as well as issuing his debut solo album ''Miss Laura's Kitchen'' in 2000.
His association with McClinton ended in 2011 allowing McKendree more flexibility. He worked with
Brian Setzer,
John Oates
John William Oates (born April 7, 1948) is an American musician, best known as half of the rock and soul duo Hall & Oates, with Daryl Hall. He has played rock, R&B, and soul music, acting as a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer ...
,
T. Graham Brown
Anthony Graham Brown (born October 30, 1954), known professionally as T. Graham Brown, is an American country music singer. Active since 1973, Brown has recorded a total of thirteen studio albums, and has charted more than twenty singles on the ...
,
Tinsley Ellis
Tinsley Ellis (born June 4, 1957) is an American blues and rock musician, who was born in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and grew up in South Florida. According to ''Billboard'', "nobody has released more consistently excellent blues albums ...
,
The Knockouts
The Knockouts are a Swedish rock band from Stockholm that formed in 1996.
The current line-up consists of Johan Frandsen (vocals, guitar), Kennet Stone (double bass, vocals) and Ted Jergelind, (Drums). The band achieved success in 2010 after ...
,
Hal Ketchum, and
George Thorogood
George Lawrence Thorogood (born February 24, 1950) is an American musician, singer and songwriter from Wilmington, Delaware.
His "high-energy boogie-blues" sound became a staple of 1980s rock radio, with hits like his original songs "Bad to the ...
(''
2120 South Michigan Ave.'') amongst many others.
His work with Tinsley Ellis had him playing on the Ellis albums, ''
Fire It Up Fire It Up may refer to:
* ''Fire It Up'' (Rick James album), 1979, and the title track
* ''Fire It Up'' (EP), a 1993 EP by Kid Rock
* ''Fire It Up'' (Tinsley Ellis album), 1997
* ''Fire It Up'' (Kottonmouth Kings album), 2004
* "Fire It Up" (B ...
'', ''
Kingpin
Kingpin or king pin may refer to:
Vehicular part
* Kingpin (automotive part), the pivot in the steering mechanism
** The central bolt of a skateboard, axle assembly ("truck"), around which the rest of the mechanism can flex, allowing the rider ...
'', ''
Hell or High Water'', ''
Moment of Truth'', ''
Speak No Evil
''Speak No Evil'' is the sixth album by Wayne Shorter. It was released in June 1966 by Blue Note Records. The music combines elements of hard bop and modal jazz, and features Shorter on tenor saxophone, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, pianist Herbi ...
'', and ''
The Hard Way''.
In 2005, McKendree issued his second album, ''Hammers & Strings''.
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
noted that it was "a set full of boogie-woogie piano (even on non-blues tunes), blues ballads, and
-style R&B, this is a delightful outing." In the same year McKendree played on Brian Setzer's album, ''Rockabilly Riot Vol. 1: A Tribute To Sun Records''. In 2008, McKendree contributed to
Randy Houser's debut album, ''
Anything Goes'', playing
Wurlitzer electric piano
The Wurlitzer electronic piano is an electric piano manufactured and marketed by Wurlitzer from the mid-1950s to mid-1980s. Sound is generated by striking a metal reed with a hammer, which induces an electric current in a pickup. It is conceptua ...
and
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...
.
More recently, McKendree has focused on songwriting and production work in his own recording studio, The Rock House, which is based in
Franklin, Tennessee.
In 2013, he
engineered
Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more specializ ...
Sean Chambers' album, ''The Rock House Sessions'', which was recorded in his own studio.
McKendree performs regularly, most recently playing in the
Mike Henderson Band at the
Bluebird Cafe
The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas.
...
in Nashville.
Grammy awards and nominations
!
, -
, align=center,
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
, ''
Tall, Dark, & Handsome''
,
Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album
,
,
, -
Discography
See also
*
List of electric blues musicians
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKendree, Kevin
1969 births
Living people
American blues singers
American blues pianists
American male pianists
American blues guitarists
American male guitarists
American rhythm and blues keyboardists
American session musicians
Electric blues musicians
Singers from Washington, D.C.
Guitarists from Washington, D.C.
20th-century American guitarists
20th-century American pianists
21st-century American keyboardists
21st-century American pianists
20th-century American male musicians
21st-century American male musicians