Arlo McKinley is an American

country singer Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

and

singer/songwriter A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk- acoustic tradition with a guitar, although this role has ...

. He has released three albums, the most recent release being ''This Mess We're In'' on

John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for his signature blend of humoro ...

’s record label

Oh Boy Records Oh Boy Records is an independent American record label founded in 1981 by singer John Prine, his manager Al Bunetta, and their friend Dan Einstein. The label has released more than 40 audio and video recordings by singer-songwriters Prine, Kris ...

, released July 15, 2022.

Early life

McKinley was born Timothy Carr in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. At the age of 8, he began singing at his family's church choir, Bethlehem United Baptist.

Career

Arlo McKinley was the last artist signed by

and his son Jody Whelan to the independent record label Oh Boy Records. McKinley has shared stages opening for

Tyler Childers Timothy Tyler Childers ( ; born June 21, 1991) is an American country singer and songwriter. His music has been described as a mix of neotraditional country, bluegrass, folk, and honky-tonk. His breakthrough studio album, ''Purgatory'' (2017) ...

Jason Isbell Michael Jason Isbell ( ; born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. One of the most celebrated contemporary songwriters in his genre, his lyrics are defined by their raw emotional honesty. Isbell began his career as a me ...

Justin Townes Earle Justin Townes Earle (January 4, 1982August 20, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. After his debut EP, ''Yuma'' (2007), he released eight full-length albums. He was recognized with an Americana Music Award for Emerging Artist ...

John Moreland John Moreland is an American singer-songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Early life Moreland was born in Longview, Texas. Moreland's father worked for Sunoco as an electrical engineer, and because of this job the family moved a lot. His was a co ...

Jamey Johnson Jamey Johnson (born July 14, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to BNA Records in 2005, Johnson made his debut with his single "The Dollar (song), The Dollar", the title track to his 2006 album ''The Dollar (album ...

and more. In 2014, McKinley released his first album, titled ''Arlo McKinley & The Lonesome Sound''. McKinley released his sophomore album, ''Die Midwestern'', as his Oh Boy Records debut on August 14, 2020. He recorded the album at Sam Phillips Recording Studio with

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

-winning producer Matt Ross-Spang and professional musicians

Ken Coomer Ken Coomer is an American musician and producer best known for his drumming in Uncle Tupelo and later Wilco. He was the drummer and co-founder of the Nashville-based band, Clockhammer, in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Career Coomer produced th ...

(

Wilco Wilco is an American Rock music, rock band based in Chicago. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo after singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently during its fir ...

), Rick Steff (

Hank Williams Jr. Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style has been described as a blend of rock, blues, and country. He is the son of count ...

), Reba Russell (

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

), Will Sexton, David Smith, and Jessie Munson. Writing for Fader Magazine, Alex Robert Ross commented on ''Die Midwestern'' being, "... a raw but perfectly balanced album laced with existential crises, addictions, and world-weary resilience." 2022 brought the release of McKinley's third album, ''This Mess We're In'', produced by Matt Ross-Spang and the same all-star band on his previous record. McKinley drew writing inspiration according to

NPR Music NPR Music is a project of National Public Radio, an American privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization, that launched in November 2007 to present public radio music programming and original editorial content for music ...

, from "...the loss of several loved ones, including his mother and multiple friends."

References

American country singer-songwriters Musicians from Cincinnati Country musicians from Ohio Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Singer-songwriters from Ohio {{US-country-singer-stub