"Better know the rules if you're gonna play."
- Larry McCray

It's been a few years since we last caught up with Saginaw's 'favorite-son'
of the Blues, Larry McCray.  But if any artist possesses the vision,
determination, talent, and humility to be classified as a true 'legend',
than Larry certainly fits the bill.

In the world of contemporary Blues music, Larry has deftly carved a unique
future in terms of shaping the sound of the genre in the 21st Century.

His first two albums, Ambition and Delta Hurricane signaled a shape and a
clarion call for Larry's desire to usher the genre of Blues music into
exciting new directions.  His next two releases, Meet Me At the Lake and
Born To Play the Blues extended his reputation as an immaculate stylist,
merging and fusing the genres of Rock and Gospel music into his embedded
Blues style, creating an aural mixture not unlike the expansive guitar

definitions of Jimi Hendrix.

Larry's latest release, Believe It, furthered his vision for creating a
completely new 'blues sound', coalescing into tightly crafted songs with
lyrical simplicity and wisdom, especially on tracks such as The Blues is My
Business, And Business is Good.

Now, on Friday, April 4th, Larry is returning to the mid-Michigan area for
The Downtown Blues Festival, a special concert at The State Theater in Bay
City that will chronicle history in the making as Larry records a 'Greatest
Hits' LIVE CD with special guests Ronnie Baker Brooks, son of the legendary
bluesman Lonnie Brooks. The festival will also feature Mojo & The Boogieman.

McCray's first influence on guitar was none other than his sister, Clara,
who toured regionally around Arkansas with her combo, The Rockets.  While
she never got to record her Freddie King-styled blues for posterity, Larry
made it a point to make up for that missed opportunity, following Clara to
Saginaw in 1972.

In the mid to late '80s, Larry began playing the local circuit with his
brothers Carl on bass and Steve on drums while spending his days working on
the General Motors assembly line. Pouring the joys of the three Kings
(B.B., Freddie and Albert) into his set-list along with superheated rock
licks from Hendrix and the Allman Brothers, Larry quickly gained a wide
reputation as a premier bluesman, nabbing several consecutive Review Music
Awards honors as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter.

Recently the Review caught up with Larry for the first time in several
years to discuss the future of the blues, the direction of his career, and
how many situations often ironically stay the same.

Review: So what have you been up to the last few years, Larry? How do you
feel your interest in the music has evolved?

McCray: Well, I've pretty much been on the road promoting my last album,
Believe It, and also sitting in and jamming with different bands, doing
whatever it takes to keep my occupation vital. I did a couple European
tours and just made it up as far as Alaska while I was touring on the West
Coast for six weeks.

Review: How were you received in Europe?

McCray:  It was like a homecoming. We won an award in France for being one
of the Best Blues Bands in Europe and just won acclamation in Chicago as
the Best Blues Band for the year 2000. Plus, I was chosen as Gibson Guitar
Blues Player of the Year, which is quite nice.

Review: What can you tell me about this show coming up at the State Theater
in Bay City?

McCray: We'll be recording a live CD of the show because it captures more
what we try to depict in our performances. Plus, it also has an energy we
haven't captured on tape yet, so I'm trying to give people more sense of
what it's like when they come to see the band.

Lonnie Brooks will be joining us and he's a great kid and a great
performer. I think it's important to introduce different talent to the
area. I met Lonnie about 13 years ago when he was still part of his Dad's
entourage.

I'm going to pick from all my favorite songs up to this point and might
introduce some new pieces. I'm still writing a lot and looking forward to
doing another studio recording after the live show. I don't really have a
target date for the new studio recording yet because I'm talking to
different people about jumping on the bandwagon to promote it.

Review: What are your thoughts on the state of the Blues scene today?

McCray: Stuff is definitely happening there, but still no one is really
being allowed to bring it to the forefront.  In a way we're still dealing
with the same issues we did back when Ambition was release 12 or 13 years
ago - the hesitancy of major labels and radio to get fully behind blues
music in terms of promoting it.

Sometimes when people don't allow it, you have to push to get it done for
yourself. Honestly, in a way I feel my calling was of a generation
preceding me, but I still think there's a market for what I do. Not a huge
market, but if I can conquer it to its full potential, that's a good place
to be.

Review: Do you feel your music has a larger interest in Europe than the States?

McCray: I think there's always that same simmering interest everywhere - a
connection that the special ones have to be devout blues fans.

My endeavor is to merge blues with enough exterior forces so it can reach
more than just Blues people. I'm trying to take it one step further to
acceptance.

Review: So have you been on the road constantly?

McCray: I'm spending a lot of time traveling. I moved south of Saginaw a
couple years ago.

Review: Why was that?

McCray: Well, let's just say I had a lot of torn pages and wanted to get a
fresh start so took myself out of the loop.

Review: What do you feel your biggest musical challenge is right now?

McCray: The same as it was 12 years ago - to conquer a major distribution
deal - the same thing I've been chasing my whole career.

Review: With the awards and constant touring, are you seeing any light at
the end of the tunnel?

McCray: Although we don't have major distribution, we do have recognition
in most of the large markets which lets me know it's not all in vain. We
just haven't cracked the big one. But I know a lot of people and I'm proud
to say I'm a Gibson endorsee. I've been doing a lot of promotion for them.
In fact I just worked for them at the Daytona 500.

Review: Have you been working on many outside projects?

McCray: In terms of recording I've done 28 maybe 30 sessions along with
some compilation work. I recorded tracks on a 'Tribute to the Rolling
Stones', another compilation of Eric Clapton's material, and also Bob
Dylan's. I've also recorded with several other blues artists. I've been
trying to keep visible.

Review: Well, it's been great chatting and I know with your determination,
if anybody is going to crack the 'big one' it will be you.

McCray: Thanks. I always want to show my grace to the hometown people for
their support. I'm enthused about what we're doing and want to thank
everybody for their continued support. We promise to deliver some new
product this fall and hopefully people will be there and anticipating it.
___________________________________________________________________
Larry McCray will be performing at the State Theater in Downtown Bay City
on Friday April 4th along with Ronnie Baker Brooks and Mojo and the
Boogieman. Beer and wine will be available at the show. Tickets can be
purchased at the Lantern (894-0772) or The River Rock (894-5500) in Bay