Jim McCarty (guitarist)
James William McCarty (born June 1, 1945) is an American blues rock guitarist from Detroit, Michigan. He has performed with Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels, the Buddy Miles Express, Cactus, The Rockets, the Detroit Blues Band, and more recently, Mystery Train. Since about 2014 Jim McCarty has joined forces with Detroit blues guitarist/songwriter Kenny Parker in The Kenny Parker Band along with several other veteran Detroit blues/rock musicians. He also makes guest appearances with other Detroit bands, most notably for an annual pre New Year's Eve party at one of his favorite clubs , "Callahan's", with The Millionaires, a nine piece jump blues band. He also recorded with Jimi Hendrix and Bob Seger. He plays in a heavy blues-rock style that has inspired fledgling guitar players for more than 40 years. In an August 2006 interview on VH1 Classic, Ted Nugent remarked "I'm the only guy in rock'n'roll that plays that hollow body jazz guitar and it's because in 1960 I saw Jimmy McCarty creating those big fat full chords like I do on "Stranglehold"; I learned that from Jimmy McCarty. Remember the name Jimmy McCarty. He is as important  as Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry and Les Paul...a god on guitar." Biography 2006 – present. In 2005, Les Paul recorded "Les Paul and Friends: American Made, World Played", with an all-star band. He covered "69 Freedom Special", an instrumental tune co-written by McCarty and recorded while in the Buddy Miles Express. In February 2006, Les Paul won a Grammy for his cover of the song, thus propelling McCarty into another award-winning arena as songwriter. In 2006, he participated in a Cactus reunion, performing in New York City, Sweden, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. It coincided with the  release of a new Cactus album, "Cactus V". In 2007, Cactus played a Detroit date, a McCarty homecoming, to a sold-out, standing-room-only house. After two years in Cactus he left the band: "There were some great moments, but then there was a lot of banging heads together. Eventually I left because it was a frustrating experience for me" In 2009, a new band, the Hell Drivers, was created. The members are Jim McCarty, Johnny "Bee" Badanjek, Marvin Conrad (bass), and Jim Edwards (vocals). A high-energy band, they play a variety of Detroit rock and roll from  Iggy Pop, The Rockets, Mitch Ryder, Alice Cooper, Bob Seger and more to great critical acclaim. On September 25, 2010, Jim McCarty was inducted into the Canada South Blues Society "Living Blues Museum" located in Windsor, Ontario. Jim McCarty and Carmine Appice reunited Cactus once again in 2011. This line up included singer Jimmy Kunes, bassist Pete Bremy from Vanilla Fudge, and Randy Pratt on harmonica. This incarnation lasted five years producing two live albums, TKO Tokyo: Live in Japan, An Evening in Tokyo, and a studio album, Black Dawn. They toured the United States, Europe and Japan. McCarty and  Bremy left the band in late 2016. Selective discography. Buddy Miles Express. • Expressway to Your Skull (1968) Tracks: • Electric Church (1969) Tracks: Several tracks of Electric Church were produced by Jimi Hendrix including McCarty's Grammy Winning song, "69 Freedom Special". Freedom Express. . Easy Ridin' (1969) [Mercury Records] Tracks: Cactus. • Cactus (1970) [Wounded Bird Records] Tracks: • One Way... Or Another (1971) [Wounded Bird Records] Tracks: • Restrictions (1972) [Wounded Bird Records] Tracks: • Cactus V (2006) [Escapi] Tracks: • Black Dawn (2016) [Sunset Blvd. Records] Tracks Jimi Hendrix • Nine To The Universe (1980) [Reprise Records] Tracks played on Jimi/Jimmy Jam The Rockets . • Rockets 1977 Guinness Records Tracks: • Love Transfusion 1977 Tortoise International/RCA Records Tracks: • Rockets (Turn Up the Radio) 1979 RSO Records Tracks: • No Ballads 1980 RSO Records Tracks • Back Talk 1981 Elektra Records Tracks: • Rocket Roll 1982 Elektra Records Tracks: • Live Rockets 1983 Capitol records Tracks: Detroit Blues Band. • Real Life (1990) [Blues Factory] Tracks: • Can't Get You Off My Mind (1995) [No Cover Productions] Tracks: Mystery Train. • Love Lost (2001) Tracks: • Lexus - Live at the Detroit International Auto Show (2002) Tracks: • Kenny Parker - Hellfire - (2019) - Rock-a-WhileBold text