Born in Lubbock, Texas in 1940, a musician and performer for forty years,
DELBERT MCCLINTON's musical history is vast; for example, he taught the Beatles' John Lennon how to play the harmonica. With his band, McClinton makes music that combines the sounds of blues, rock n' roll, honky-tonk, country and R&B. In 1992, McClinton won a Grammy for his duet with Bonnie Raitt, "Good Man/Good Woman," and his 1989 album,
Live From Austin (Alligator), was nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Some of McClinton's recordings include
Never Been Rocked (Curb Records), and
One of the Fortunate Few (Rising Tide). He moved to Nashville after
One of the Fortunate Few was released, and has called it home ever since. His songs have been featured on albums by Vince Gill, Wynonna, Martina McBride, and others, and his most recent solo recording is Nothing Personal (New West Records). All of the songs on this album were either written or co-written by McClinton himself, and the album brings together alumni from Bonnie Raitt's and Tom Petty's bands, as well as McClinton's own talented ensemble. Joining McClinton tonight are the members of his band, George Hawkins, Kevin McKendree, Todd Sharp, Terry Townson, Donald Wise, and Lynn Williams. For more information, see
www.delbert.com.
Singer/songwriter
STEPHANIE DAVIS is a fourth-generation Montanan who grew up in the town of Bridger. After spending nine years in Nashville working as a staff songwriter, she moved back to her small ranch in south central Montana. During her time in Nashville, her songs were recorded by artists like Garth Brooks (with whom she also toured), Roger Whittaker, Shelby Lynne, Martina McBride, Laurie Lewis, and Don Edwards. Davis decided that she wasn't cut out to be a staff songwriter (she didn't like churning out songs under a deadline), and she made her way back to Montana to write and sing her own songs. She has since released two CDs on her own Recluse label. The first is the western-styled
River of No Return, which features cowboy ballads. The second,
I'm Pullin' Through, is a collection of original and vintage '40s swing music. She enjoys performing at cowboy gatherings throughout the west, where she can enjoy the audience's reaction to her performance. These performances also give her the opportunity to share the stage with the cowboy poets who have inspired her writing. Rich O'Brien, producer of her CDs, says of Davis, "It's one thing to write and perform Western songs. It's quite another to write and perform Western classics and live to see them acknowledged as such; that's exactly what Stephanie is doing." Davis plans to release a new record of originals later this year, as well as an illustrated story-poem book called
The Icy Blue Norther. She is also featured in Hal Cannon's upcoming documentary film called
Why The Cowboy Sings, which premieres at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and will later air on PBS stations nationwide. For more information, see
www.stephaniedavis.net.
