# 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, he has recorded albums for several major record labels and singles which have reached the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, Mainstream Rock Tracks, and Hot Country Songs charts. His highest-charting single was "Tell Me About It", a 1992 duet with Tanya Tucker, which reached number 4 on the Country chart. Four of his albums have been number 1 on the Blues chart, and another reached number 2. His highest charting pop hit was 1980's "Giving It Up for Your Love", which peaked at number 8 on the Hot 100.
McClinton has earned four Grammy Awards; 1992 Rock Performance by a Duo with Bonnie Raitt for "Good Man, Good Woman"; 2002 Contemporary Blues Album for Nothing Personal; 2006 Best Contemporary Blues Album for Cost of Living, and 2020 Best Traditional Blues Album for Tall, Dark, & Handsome. He has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards as of 2020.
He was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame in March 2011, along with Lee Roy Parnell, Bruce Channel, Gary Nicholson, and Cindy Walker. In 2019, Delbert McClinton was honored by the historic Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas with the fifth star in their Walk of Fame. (Others are actors Jaston Williams and Joe Sears, and musical artists Jerry Jeff Walker and Lyle Lovett).

## Career
### Early years

McClinton was born in Lubbock, Texas and moved with his family to Fort Worth, Texas when he was 11 years old. He worked in a bar band, the Straitjackets, who backed Sonny Boy Williamson II, Howlin' Wolf, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Jimmy Reed. McClinton recorded several regional singles before hitting the national chart in 1962, playing harmonica on Bruce Channel's "Hey! Baby". On a tour with Channel in the United Kingdom, McClinton instructed John Lennon on the finer points of blues harmonica playing.
McClinton formed the Ron-Dels, sometimes called the Rondells, with Ronnie Kelly and Billy Wade Sanders. The band had a chart single in 1965 with "If You Really Want Me To I'll Go".

### 1970s

Relocating to Los Angeles in 1972, McClinton partnered with fellow Texan Glen Clark to perform a combination of country and soul music. They released two albums before splitting and McClinton embarked on a solo career.
Emmylou Harris had a number 1 hit in 1978 with her recording of McClinton's composition "Two More Bottles of Wine", and a cover version of his "B Movie Boxcar Blues" was on the first album by the Blues Brothers, Briefcase Full of Blues.

### 1980s and 1990s

McClinton's 1980 album, The Jealous Kind, contained his only Top 40 hit single, "Giving It Up for Your Love", which peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 35 Adult Contemporary. He was inactive in the studio during much of the 1980s, though he toured heavily. McClinton closed the decade with the Grammy-nominated 1989 album Live from Austin, recorded during an appearance on the television program Austin City Limits and co-produced by sax sideman Don Wise, who went on to become a longtime fixture in the band.
In 1991 McClinton won a Grammy Award for a duet with Bonnie Raitt, "Good Man, Good Woman", and reached the Top 5 of the Country chart with "Tell Me About It", a duet with Tanya Tucker. He re-entered the Billboard charts in 1992 with the album Never Been Rocked Enough, which included the charting single "Every Time I Roll the Dice" and a cover of John Hiatt's "Have a Little Faith in Me".
McClinton recorded the song "Weatherman", which was played with the opening titles of the 1993 film Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray. The fledgling label Rising Tide Records released One of the Fortunate Few in 1997, before the label went out of business.

### 2000–present

McClinton released two studio albums in the early 2000s for New West Records, which also issued Delbert McClinton Live in 2003, a compilation album of songs from his career. In 2006, he won a Grammy Award for his album Cost of Living in the category Best Contemporary Blues Album.
Etta James included two McClinton songs on her 2003 album, Let's Roll.
McClinton was a judge for the fourth annual Independent Music Awards, presented to independent artists to support their careers. He is featured in the documentary film Rocking the Boat: A Musical Conversation and Journey, by the filmmaker Jay Curlee.
McClinton performed on the Frankie Miller album Double Take, released in 2016; his voice is merged with Miller's in the song "Beginner at the Blues". His 2019 recording, Tall, Dark & Handsome, was chosen as a 'Favorite Blues Album' by AllMusic. It was awarded the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.

## Discography
### Studio albums

| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Chart Positions | Chart Positions | Chart Positions | Label |
| Year | Album | US Blues | US Country | US | US Indie | Label |
| 1972 | Delbert & Glen | | | | | Clean/Atlantic |
| 1973 | Subject to Change (Delbert & Glen) | | | | | Clean/Atlantic |
| 1975 | Victim of Life's Circumstances | | | | | ABC |
| 1976 | Genuine Cowhide | | | | | ABC |
| 1977 | Love Rustler | | 49 | | | ABC |
| 1978 | Second Wind | | | | | Capricorn |
| 1979 | Keeper of the Flame | | | 146 | | Capricorn |
| 1980 | The Jealous Kind | | | 34 | | Capitol |
| 1981 | Plain' from the Heart | | | 181 | | Capitol |
| 1987 | Honky Tonkin' | | | | | MCA |
| 1989 | Honky Tonkin' (I Guess I Done Me Some) | | | | | Alligator |
| 1989 | Live from Austin | | | | | Alligator |
| 1990 | I'm with You | | | | | Curb |
| 1992 | Never Been Rocked Enough | | | 118 | | Curb |
| 1993 | Feelin' Alright | | | | | Intermedia |
| 1993 | Delbert McClinton | | | | | Curb |
| 1994 | Shot from the Saddle | | | | | Mercury |
| 1994 | Honky Tonk 'n' Blues | | | | | MCA |
| 1995 | Let the Good Times Roll | | | | | MCA |
| 1997 | One of the Fortunate Few | 2 | 15 | 116 | | Rising Tide |
| 2001 | Nothing Personal | 1 | 20 | 103 | 3 | New West |
| 2002 | Room to Breathe | 1 | 12 | 84 | 3 | New West |
| 2003 | Live (at the Bergen Musicfest) | | 44 | | 31 | New West |
| 2005 | Cost of Living | 1 | 14 | 105 | 16 | New West |
| 2006 | Live from Austin, TX | | | | | New West |
| 2007 | Rockin' Blues | | | | | Direct Source |
| 2009 | Acquired Taste | 1 | | 131 | 23 | New West |
| 2013 | Blind, Crippled and Crazy (Delbert & Glen) | 1 | | 172 | 36 | New West |
| 2017 | Prick of the Litter | 2 | | | 18 | Hot Shot |
| 2019 | Tall, Dark & Handsome | 1 | | | 15 | Hot Shot |
| 2022 | Outdated Emotion | | | | | Hot Shot |

### Compilation albums

| Year | Album | Label |
| 1978 | Very Early Delbert McClinton, Vol. 1 | LeCam |
| 1978 | Very Early Delbert McClinton, Vol. 2 | LeCam |
| 1989 | Best of Delbert McClinton | Curb |
| 1994 | Classics Volume One (The Jealous Kind) reissue of 1980 album | Curb |
| 1994 | Classics Volume Two (Plain' from the Heart) reissue of 1981 album | Curb |
| 1995 | The Great Songs – Come Together | Curb |
| 1999 | The Crazy Cajun Recordings | Edsel |
| 1999 | Ultimate Collection | Hip-O |
| 2000 | Don't Let Go: The Collection | Music Club |
| 2000 | Genuine Rhythm & the Blues | Hip-O |
| 2003 | The Best of Delbert McClinton: 20th Century Masters/The Millennium Collection | MCA Nashville |
| 2006 | The Definitive Collection | Hip-O |

### Singles

| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Chart Positions | Chart Positions | Chart Positions | Chart Positions | Chart Positions | Album |
| Year | Single | US | US AC | US Country | US MSR | CAN | CAN Country | Album |
| 1965 | "If You Really Want Me To, I'll Go" (the Ron-Dels) | 97 | — | — | — | — | | Very Early Delbert McClinton, Vol. 1 |
| 1972 | "I Received a Letter" (Delbert & Glen) | 90 | — | — | — | — | — | Delbert & Glen |
| 1980 | "Giving It Up for Your Love" | 8 | 35 | — | — | 10 | — | The Jealous Kind |
| 1981 | "Shotgun Rider" | 70 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1981 | "Sandy Beaches" | 101 | — | — | — | — | — | Plain' from the Heart |
| 1990 | "I'm with You" | — | — | 78 | — | — | — | I'm with You |
| 1992 | "Every Time I Roll the Dice" | — | — | — | 13 | 40 | — | Never Been Rocked Enough |
| 1995 | "Come Together" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Come Together: America Salutes the Beatles |
| 1997 | "Sending Me Angels" | — | — | 65 | — | — | 92 | One of the Fortunate Few |
| 2001 | "When Rita Leaves" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Nothing Personal |
| 2002 | "Same Kind of Crazy" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Room to Breathe |
| 2002 | "Lone Star Blues" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Room to Breathe |
| 2005 | "One of the Fortunate Few" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Cost of Living |
| 2005 | "I Had a Real Good Time" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Cost of Living |
| 2006 | "Midnight Communion" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Cost of Living |
| 2009 | "Mama's Little Baby" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Acquired Taste |
| 2009 | "Starting a Rumor" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Acquired Taste |

### Guest singles

| Year | Single | Artist | Chart Positions | Chart Positions | Album |
| Year | Single | Artist | US Country | CAN Country | Album |
| 1993 | "Tell Me About It" | Tanya Tucker | 4 | 3 | Can't Run from Yourself |

### Music videos

| Year | Video |
| 1990 | "I'm with You" |
| 1990 | "Who's Foolin' Who" |
| 1992 | "Everytime I Roll The Dice" |
| 1995 | "Come Together" |
| 1997 | "Sending Me Angels" |
| 2002 | "Lone Star Blues" |

## Grammy awards and nominations

| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2020 | Tall, Dark, & Handsome | Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album | Won |
| 2006 | "Midnight Communion" | Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance | Nominated |
| 2006 | Cost Of Living | Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album | Won |
| 2003 | Room To Breathe | Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album | Nominated |
| 2002 | Nothing Personal | Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album | Won |
| 1993 | "Tell Me About It" | Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Collaboration | Nominated |
| 1992 | "Good Man, Good Woman" | Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | Won |
| 1990 | Live From Austin | Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Recording | Nominated |