Chuck McDermott

Last updated
Charles McDermott
Also known asChuck McDermott
Genres Country, rock
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, politician
Years active1970–present
Labels
  • Sunstorm Records
  • Polydor
  • Back Door Records

Charles McDermott, better-known by his stage name Chuck McDermott, is an American singer, songwriter and lyricist with a side history in political activism. He is known for writing and contributing to a variety of vinyl records and Spotify albums, for contributing two songs to the soundtrack for the 1982 Canadian horror film The Rats , and for his collaborations with musician John Stewart.

Contents

Personal life

McDermott's date of birth and age are unknown. Born in the city of Chicago but raised in Dubuque, Iowa, he attended Yale University for two years before branching out into a professional music career that began in Boston, Massachusetts. Much of his early music was based in country and folk rock influences. [1] [2] McDermott lives in Cohasset, Massachusetts as of 2022. [3] Other notable life events include McDermott's brief work on Ted Kennedy's presidential campaign. [4] He is politically involved in environmentalism, finance and energy issues, which he prioritized over his musical career for the most part between the 1980s and 2010s. [5] Although he had dropped out of Yale before completing a university career, McDermott was able to find work as a staff member in the US House of Representatives. [6]

1970s

McDermott's 1970s period of work was largely with his first band, a country group called "Chuck McDermott and Wheatstraw". The band focused on mostly live performances contained to venues in the United States, mainly in Boston. While McDeromtt was met with acclaim, the band itself was criticized for lacking the general charisma that McDermott carried. [7] Despite this, Chuck McDermott and Wheatstraw released three vinyl records through label Back Door Records, one of which was a 7" single, and the other two of which were LP albums. The band ceased to be active in the late 1970s. [8] [9]

During the disbanding of Chuck McDermott and Wheatstraw, McDermott worked as a political staffer for the Kennedy Family during a presidential campaign. [10] McDermott described his involvement in politics as fulfilling, stating that "all that work has been very gratifying and I'm proud of it. But nothing I've ever done touches me in the place that my music does." McDermott went on to describe how the satisfaction of song writing, and the feeling community arising from live performances, rang "the louder bell". [11]

1980s

McDermott toured in the United States and the Canadian province of Quebec in the 1980s with his new band, The Chuck McDermott Band. While in Canada, the group contributed two songs that were featured in the soundtrack of Robert Clouse's horror film The Rats (known in America as Deadly Eyes). [12] One of these songs, a slow romantic rock song titled "So Right", was later featured on the B-side of McDermott's album The Turning Of The Wheel, which was released in 1986. [13] The other song featured in the film, a faster party rock song titled "Lolita", was never released on any commercially available album and is considered lost media. The only known existing version of the song is that which is featured in a scene of The Rats, during which the film's characters speak heavily over it. [14] [15]

Alongside McDermott's contributions to The Rats soundtrack, he also began collaborating extensively in the 1980s with fellow musician John Stewart. They released an album together, titled Blondes , that was released in 1982 by Polydor. [16] The album was praised by Billboard for its innovative style. [17]

Later career

McDermott collaborated with John Stewart on a second album, a recording of an earlier concert, released in 2011 under the title Illinois Rain - In Concert June 22, 1984. [18] By the 2010s, McDermott had become a solo artist, releasing two separate albums titled Gin & Rosewater (2017) and 38 Degrees and Raining (2021). [19] Unlike his previous albums, these albums were never released on vinyl, but were made available on CD, Spotify and SoundCloud. [20] [21]

Chuck was an inductee into the Massachusetts Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015. [5] [22] [23]

Discography

Solo albums

YearTitleFormat
1986The Turning of the WheelVinyl
2017Gin & RosewaterCD, MP3, digital streaming
202138 Degrees and RainingCD, MP3, digital streaming

Chuck McDermott and Wheatstraw

YearTitleFormat
1976Last StrawVinyl
1976I Can't Appreciate Automobiles (7", Single)Vinyl
1977Follow The MusicVinyl

Collaborations with John Stewart

YearTitleFormat
1982 Blondes Vinyl
2011Illinois Rain - In Concert June 22, 1984CD

The Chuck McDermott Band (single songs)

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superchunk</span> American rock band

Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, consisting of singer-guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Laura King. Formed in 1989, they were one of the bands that helped define the Chapel Hill music scene of the 1990s. Their energetic, high-velocity style and do-it-yourself ethic is influenced by punk rock, notably such bands as Hüsker Dü, Sonic Youth, Minutemen, and Buzzcocks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Motors</span> British pub rock band

The Motors were a British pub rock band formed in London in 1977 by former Ducks Deluxe members Nick Garvey and Andy McMaster together with guitarist Rob Hendry and drummer Ricky Slaughter. Their biggest success was with the McMaster-penned song "Airport", a number 4 UK hit single in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Stewart (Eurythmics)</span> English musician, songwriter and record producer (born 1952)

David Allan Stewart is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for Eurythmics, his successful professional partnership with Annie Lennox. Sometimes credited as David A. Stewart, he won Best British Producer at the 1986, 1987 and 1990 Brit Awards. Stewart was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020 and the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Outside of Eurythmics, Stewart has written and produced songs for artists such as Ringo Starr, Stevie Nicks, Mick Jagger and Tom Petty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everything but the Girl</span> English musical duo

Everything but the Girl are an English musical duo formed in Kingston upon Hull in 1982, consisting of lead singer, songwriter, composer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer, producer and singer Ben Watt. The group's early works have been categorized as sophisti-pop with jazz influences before undergoing an electronic music turn following the worldwide success of the 1994 hit single "Missing", remixed by Todd Terry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Money Changes Everything</span> 1978 single by The Brains

"Money Changes Everything" is a song by American rock band the Brains from their eponymous debut studio album (1980). Originally released in 1978, the song was reissued as the lead single from the album in 1980, by Mercury Records. Frontman Tom Gray is credited as the sole writer of the song, while production was collectively helmed by the Brains and Bruce Baxter. The song was popularized in 1984 by Cyndi Lauper, who released a cover version of the song as a single from her debut studio album, She's So Unusual (1983).

<i>Street Rats</i> 1975 studio album by Humble Pie

Street Rats was the eighth studio album by the English rock group Humble Pie, released in 1975. The album went to number 100 on the US Billboard 200 album chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Feeling</span> English rock/pop band

The Feeling are an English rock/pop band from Horsham, Sussex.

Christopher Braide is an English songwriter, record producer and singer, formerly based in Malibu, Los Angeles.

<i>Terrified</i> (album) 1993 studio album by Quiet Riot

Terrified is the seventh album by American heavy metal band Quiet Riot. It is the band's first album in five years, and marks the return of singer Kevin DuBrow after his firing in 1987. It is bassist Kenny Hillery's only studio album with the band, and drummer Bobby Rondinelli plays on several songs. Many of the album's songs were featured in Charles Band's movie Dollman vs. Demonic Toys, with the album itself being released on Moonstone Records, the soundtrack offshoot of Band's film company Full Moon Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'll See You in My Dreams (1924 song)</span> 1924 song by Gus Kahn and Isham Jones

"I'll See You in My Dreams" is a popular song and jazz standard, composed by Isham Jones, with lyrics by Gus Kahn, and published in 1924. It was recorded on December 4 that year, by Isham Jones conducting Ray Miller's Orchestra. Released on Brunswick Records, it charted for 16 weeks during 1925, spending seven weeks at number 1 in the United States. Other popular versions in 1925 were by Marion Harris; Paul Whiteman; Ford & Glenn; and Lewis James; with three of these four reaching the Top 10.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimi Hendrix discography</span>

Jimi Hendrix (1942–1970) was an American guitarist whose career spanned from 1962 to 1970. His discography includes the recordings released during his lifetime. Prior to his rise to fame, he recorded 24 singles as a backing guitarist with American R&B artists, such as the Isley Brothers and Little Richard. Beginning in late 1966, he recorded three best-selling studio albums and 13 singles with the Jimi Hendrix Experience. An Experience compilation album and half of a live album recorded at the Monterey Pop Festival were also issued prior to his death. After the breakup of the Experience in mid-1969, songs from his live performances were included on the Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and More and Band of Gypsys albums. A studio single with the Band of Gypsys was also released.

<i>Deadly Eyes</i> 1982 Canadian film

Deadly Eyes is a 1982 Canadian horror film directed by Robert Clouse, very loosely based on the 1974 horror novel The Rats by James Herbert. The story revolves around giant black rats who begin eating the residents of Toronto after ingesting contaminated grain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Please Send Me Someone to Love</span>

"Please Send Me Someone to Love" is a blues ballad, written and recorded by American blues and soul singer Percy Mayfield in 1950, for Art Rupe's Specialty Records. It was on the Billboard's R&B chart for 27 weeks and reached the number-one position for two weeks; it was Mayfield's most successful song.

Black Market Baby was an American punk rock band from Washington, D.C. They were one of the original groups who made up the punk rock scene in the Washington area in the 1980s.

The Irrepressibles is the creative guise of British musician Jamie McDermott.

Crosses is an American musical side project of Deftones singer Chino Moreno and Far guitarist Shaun Lopez, based in Los Angeles, California, and formed in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Aquabats discography</span>

The discography of The Aquabats, an Orange County, California-based rock band, consists of six studio albums, one compilation album, one soundtrack album, two EPs, one live album, one video album and three music videos, among other recordings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tumbling Down (Cockney Rebel song)</span>

"Tumbling Down" is a song by the British rock band Cockney Rebel, fronted by Steve Harley. It was released in 1975 as the third and final single from the band's second studio album The Psychomodo (1974). The song was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Alan Parsons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Wrench (music producer)</span> Welsh musician, songwriter and producer

David Wrench is a Welsh musician, songwriter, producer and mixer based in London. His work has been nominated for Grammys, Brit Awards and shortlisted for numerous Mercury Prize nominations including the 2017 winning album Process by Sampha. and Arlo Parks 2021 'Collapsed in Sunbeams’. Wrench has been the recipient of the BBC Radio Cymru C2 Producer of the Year award five times in six years between 2007 and 2012 and has received Music Producer Guild Awards (MPGs) including Mix Engineer of the Year 2016 and 2019. Credits include, David Byrne, Frank Ocean, The Pretenders, Blur, Caribou, Goldfrapp, Erasure, The xx, Sampha, Jamie xx, Jungle, FKA Twigs, Glass Animals, Florence and the Machine, Arlo Parks, Alma, Hot Chip, Marika Hackman, Honne, Jack Garratt, Manic Street Preachers, Villagers, Courtney Barnett, Austra, Tourist, Richard Russell, Let's Eat Grandma, Young Fathers, Georgia, Bat For Lashes and Race Horses.

<i>The Lego Batman Movie</i> (soundtrack) 2017 soundtrack album by Lorne Balfe

The Lego Batman Movie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2017 animated film The Lego Batman Movie, which is the second instalment in The Lego Movie franchise. The film is based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, and other primary characters from the DC Universe and the Lego DC Super Heroes' Batman toy line. This is the first and only film in the franchise not to be scored by Mark Mothersbaugh, instead Lorne Balfe scored for the film. The soundtrack to the film was released by WaterTower Music, through two-disc CD formats and for digital download, on February 3, 2017, a week prior to the film's release. A vinyl edition of the soundtrack was released on May 19, 2017.

References

  1. ↑ McDermott, Chuck. "About". www.chuckmcdermott.com. Chuck McDermott. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  2. ↑ "Chuck McDermott". www.discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  3. ↑ Miller, Jay N. "From Brandi Carlile to Jakob Dylan: The best albums of 2021". www.patriotledger.com. The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  4. ↑ Cate, John (10 October 2017). "Chuck McDermott". www.mmone.org. Music Museum of New England. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Chuck McDermott". www.passim.org. Passim. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  6. ↑ "Meet Chuck McDermott". bostonvoyager.com. Boston Voyager. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  7. ↑ Scarlett, David (1978). "Chuck McDermott & Wheatstraw: Old Time Picking Parlor, Nashville". Billboard. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  8. ↑ "Chuck McDermott and Wheatstraw". www.chuckmcdermott.com. Discogs. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  9. ↑ Buderi, Robert (28 October 2014). "Who Knew? Fun Facts About Boston Innovators—the Slide Show". xconomy.com. Xconomy. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  10. ↑ Rybolt, Paul; Rybolt, Chris (10 February 2021). "Chuck McDermott". thisoldsong.com. This Old Song. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  11. ↑ Lady, Americana. "Interview: Americana artist Chuck McDermott talks about his life in music and politics". www.nodepression.com. No Depression. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  12. ↑ Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (1983), Annual Index to Motion Picture Credits 1983, Greenwoord Press
  13. ↑ "The Turning Of The Wheel". www.discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  14. ↑ "Deadly Eyes (1982)". www.sweetsoundtrack.com. Sweet Soundtrack. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  15. ↑ ""Lolita" by Chuck McDermott song from movie Deadly Eyes". www.youtube.com. Jareth the Goblin King. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  16. ↑ Zimmerman, Lee (25 March 2021). "With an Astute New EP, Chuck McDermott Offers an Unabashed Glimpse at Today's New Normal". americansongwriter.com. American Songwriter. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  17. ↑ "Top Album Picks: Billboard's Recommended LPs". No. 95. Billboard. 1983. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  18. ↑ "John Stewart (2) With Chuck McDermott – Illinois Rain - In Concert June 22, 1984". www.discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  19. ↑ Miller, Jay N. "Music Scene: Cohasset's Chuck McDermott sings of trouble - and hope - on new album". www.patriotledger.com. The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  20. ↑ McDermott, Chuck. "Shop". www.chuckmcdermott.com.
  21. ↑ "Americana Artist Chuck McDermott Shares Video for 'Here's The Thing About America'". www.americanbluesscene.com. American Blues Scene. 27 January 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  22. ↑ "Passim Streams: Chuck McDermott". www.ministryoffolk.com. Ministry of Folk. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  23. ↑ "Chuck McDermott: Massachusetts Country Music Hall of Famer Chuck McDermott!". 24hourconcerts.showare.com. 24 Hour Concerts. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.