Billy Earl McClelland (September 19, 1950 – October 3, 2013) was an American session guitarist and songwriter.

Overview

Born in

Cusseta, Alabama Cusseta is a town in Chambers County, Alabama, United States. Situated between Opelika and Lanett, it was named for the ancient Creek Indian town of Cusseta. As of the 2010 census, its population was 123. Pat Garrett, the lawman famed f ...

, United States, McClelland left high school to go to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, and was signed by a

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

. As a session guitarist in Nashville, he worked with B.J. Thomas,

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, and

Mel Tillis Lonnie Melvin Tillis (August 8, 1932 – November 19, 2017) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s as part of the outlaw country movement, ...

. He wrote songs for

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and

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. Eventually, he released a rock-oriented record on

Elektra Electra, also spelt Elektra, was a daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra in Greek mythology. Electra or Elektra may also refer to: Animals * ''Electra'' (bryozoan), a genus of aquatic invertebrates * ''Elektra'' (bug), a genus of insects in the ...

. A second album, 'Ready or Not', remains unreleased by the label. Later, McClelland moved to

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

at the urging of Skip McQuinn. While there, his passion for the blues led him to produce the first Big Bill Morganfield recording, engineered by Mike Durff and Tyler Bell. McClelland continued to be a regular in clubs and festivals throughout the Southeast. McClelland also worked with

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and

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. His album ''Judgment Day'' (2000) received critical acclaim from all of the major blues magazines. McClelland helmed Mojo:Saint, a contemporary blues project, along with veteran drummer David Brazeal and bassist Jack Hall et Willie He was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. McClelland died on October 3, 2013, from complications after a heart attack at the East Alabama Medical Center in

Opelika, Alabama Opelika (pronounced ) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Alabama, Lee County in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States censu ...

. He was aged 63.

Discography

*''Billy Burnette'', Polydor Records, 1979, As a member of

Billy Burnette Dorsey William Burnette III (born May 8, 1953, in Memphis, Tennessee, United States) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who was part of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1987 to 1996. Burnette also had a brief career in acting. Family ba ...

's group *''Zero Hindsight'', Elektra Asylum Records, 1980 *'Ready or Not', Elektra Asylum Records, unreleased - 1980 *''Murdered By Love'', 1986, as a member of the band Blue Monday *''For the Fathers of Rock and Roll'', Personal Records, 1986 *''Nineteen Years Old: A Tribute to Muddy Waters'', Taxim, 1999, producer and member of Big Bill Morganfield's band *''Judgment Day'', MojoBlues Records, 2000 *''Now And Then, Then And Now'', Chips Moman Records, 2001, as a member of

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's band *''Even More Good Whiskey Blues'', Taxim, compilation, 2005 *''Blues From the Heart of Dixie'', Taxim, compilation, 2006 *''Floral Park Bootleg'', Jammates Records, 2006

References

1950 births 2013 deaths American blues guitarists American male guitarists American rock guitarists American session musicians 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians {{US-rock-guitarist-stub Guitarists from Alabama People from Chambers County, Alabama