On this day (November 4) in 1940, Delbert McClinton was born in Lubbock, Texas. After coming up with blues greats in the Texas club scene, he began writing songs which were covered by country music A-listers and Hollywood stars. McClinton also earned multiple Grammy Awards and has cut songs with the likes of Bonnie Raitt and Tanya Tucker.
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McClinton began playing the guitar as a young teenager. Soon, he formed a band called The Straitjackets, who served as the house band at Jack’s, a club in Fort Worth, Texas. At the age of 19, he was playing behind the likes of Howling Wolf, Lightning Hopkins, and Big Joe Turner.
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Minor Success with Major Artists
While McClinton has never achieved consistent mainstream success, he has taken home multiple awards, released hit songs, and written songs that became hits for other artists. For instance, he released “Giving It Up for Your Love” in 1980, which peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Tell Me About It,” his duet with Tanya Tucker, reached No. 4 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 1994. He has also launched six albums to the top of the blues chart.
McClinton has also taken home four Grammy Awards. He took home his first in 1992 when “Good Man, Good Woman,” a duet with Bonnie Raitt, earned Best Rock Performance by a Duo. A decade later, Nothing Personal won Best Contemporary Blues Album. Four years later, Cost of Living took the same award. Then, in 2020, Tall, Dark, & Handsome won Best Traditional Blues Album.
Multiple artists have found success with McClinton’s songs. Notably, Emmylou Harris took his “Two More Bottles of Wine” to No. 1. Additionally, his song “B Movie Box Car Blues” became a staple of the Blues Brothers’ live concerts and the iconic movie featuring the Saturday Night Live standouts.
Delbert McClinton’s Extraordinary Run of Bad Luck
With quality music, a shelf full of Grammy Awards, and ties to some of the most lauded artists in the land, one would think that Delbert McClinton would be a household name. However, that’s not the case. That could be the result of his seemingly terrible luck.
According to Music Enterprises, Inc., McClinton’s run of bad luck began early in his career. He first found success with Clean Records. Then, the label went under. Then, he moved to ABC Records in the mid-1970s. Unfortunately, MCA absorbed the imprint, halting any momentum McClinton had gained. He then moved to Capricorn Records in the late 1970s. There, he released two albums, Second Wind and Keeper of the Flame, before the label collapsed.
Things started to look up for McClinton when he moved to Muscle Shoals Sound in the early 1980s. There, he released his biggest solo hit, “Giving It Up for Your Love.” Soon, that imprint collapsed as well. He later moved to other labels, including Curb, Mercury, and MCA. In the mid-1990s, he signed with Rising Tide, which promptly collapsed.
Despite all of the setbacks he encountered, Delbert McClinton continues to record and perform. His most recent album, Outdated Emotion, dropped in 2022.
Featured Image by Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images
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