Jerry McCain
| Jerry McCain | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jerry B. McCain |
| Also known as | Jerry "Boogie" McCain |
| Born |
June 19, 1930 near Gadsden, Alabama, United States |
| Died | March 28, 2012 (aged 81) Gadsden, Alabama, U.S. |
| Genres | Blues |
| Instruments | Harmonica, guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1940s–2000s |
| Labels | Trumpet, Excello, OKeh, Jewel, Romulus, Ichiban |
Jerry McCain, often billed as Jerry "Boogie" McCain (June 18, 1930 – March 28, 2012), was an American electric blues musician, best known as a harmonica player.
Born near Gadsden, Alabama, United States, he was one of five children of a poor family. Many of his siblings also became involved in music, most notably his brother, Walter, who played drums on some early recordings. McCain picked up the harmonica from itinerant musicians "Chick" and "Shorty" who played at the local bars (and street corners) when he was young.
McCain was a fan of the music of Little Walter and met the artist when, in 1953, he traveled to Gadsden for a show. McCain's recording debut came via Trumpet Records the same year under the name "Boogie McCain", with his brother Walter on drums. The two tracks were "East of the Sun" and "Wine-O-Wine". After recruiting Christopher Collins, who would be with him throughout most of his career, he went on to the Excello label. During his years with the Excello (1955–57) he developed his amplified harmonica style, and unusual blues lyrics. The Excello Label period saw the release of such noted songs as "The Jig's Up", and "My Next Door Neighbor". His later recording for Rex Records "She's Tough" / "Steady" was an inspiration to The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and Kim Wilson duplicated McCain's harp work on their version.
McCain also released singles and albums for Columbia, under their Okeh Records label (1962), and for the Shreveport-based Jewel (1965–68) record label. The complete collection of his Jewel label records are available on a compilation album and, in recent years, several of his early recordings have been released on "retrospective" and compilation CDs, including the Verose Vintage album, Good Stuff. His longest partner, Ichiban Records, also released several retrospectives in the 1990s, including ICH1516-2: Jerry McCain.
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