Born 86 Years Ago Today in West Texas, the Songwriter Behind Emmylou Harris’ No. 1 Hit Who Later Duetted With Tanya Tucker

On this day (November 4) in 1940, singer-songwriter Delbert McClinton was born in Lubbock, Texas. Equally proficient on the guitar, harmonica, and piano, McClinton is often somewhat unfairly stuck with the “one-hit wonder” label. He scored his only Top 10 solo hit in 1980 with the Americana track “Givin’ It Up For Your Love”, which climbed to number eight on the U.S. pop chart.

However, focusing only on McClinton’s solo chart success does a grave disservice to his nearly seven-decade career. With his unique blend of country, blues, soul, and rock & roll, he has taken home four Grammy Awards, including the 2020 Best Traditional Blues Album for his 2019 LP Tall, Dark, and Handsome.

With four No. 1 blues albums under his belt, McClinton also scored a Top 5 country hit in 1992 with the Tanya Tucker duet “Tell Me All About It”, which reached number four. Additionally, he has penned songs for other artists, including Emmylou Harris’ 1978 chart-topper “Two More Bottles of Wine”.

Today, we’re taking a trip through the life and career of Delbert McClinton in honor of his 86th birthday.

Early Life

Hailed by Rolling Stone as the “Godfather of Americana Music“, Delbert McClinton grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, where he first discovered blues music as a teenager. As a child growing up in Fort Worth, he traded a World War II knife for a crystal radio receiver.

“I thought it was God’s radio,” McClinton told Texas Monthly in 2019. “Late at night, you could pick up the border radio, but also stations from Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and Nashville that played great music. That radio and the music I found from those stations set the stage for my whole life.”

By age 19, he was leading a band called the Straitjackets. As the house band for a Texas blues and R&B club, they backed artists like Sonny Boy Williamson II, Howlin’ Wolf, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and Jimmy Reed. 

Delbert McClinton Taught This Beatle the Harmonica

After several regional successes, Delbert McClinton hit the national chart when he playing played harmonica on Bruce Channel’s 1962 smash “Hey! Baby”.

Afterwards, he toured the United Kingdom with Channel, where he met the Beatles’ John Lennon and offered him some harmonica tips. Lennon reportedly made use of those tips right away on the Fab Four’s debut single “Love Me Do”.

Upon returning to the U.S., McClinton founded a group called the Rondells (sometimes listed as the Ron-Dels), which had a minor chart single in 1965 with “If You Really Want Me to, I’ll Go’”.

He relocated to Los Angeles in 1972, where he released two country-soul albums with fellow Texan Glen Clark as Delbert & Glen. Neither album sold particularly well, and McClinton headed back to Texas two years later.

There, he landed a contract with ABC and released his solo debut, Victim of Life’s Circumstances. Despite little commercial success, it received rave critical reviews, as did its two follow-ups, Genuine Cowhide (1976) and Love Rustler (1977).

In 1978, Emmylou Harris took his composition “Two More Bottles of Wine” to No. 1.

Making His Name

The new few years would bring about a series of unfortunate events for Delbert McClinton, as he would release one or two albums with a different label just before that label folded.

Despite this, he managed to land his lone top 40 single, “Givin’ It Up For Your Love”, in 1980.

After that, McClinton stepped back from recording for most of the 1980s, although he continued to tour frequently. He earned a Grammy nod for his 1989 live album Live From Austin.

In 1992, McClinton took home Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal honors for the Bonnie Raitt duet “”Good Man, Good Woman”.

[RELATED: 3 One-Hit Wonders From the Year 1980 That I’m Almost Positive You’ve Never Heard Of]

At 86 years old, Delbert McClinton is still going strong. He released his most recent album, Outdated Emotion, in 2022.

Featured image by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Americana Music Association