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| Authority control databases: Artists |
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Kevin McKendree | |
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| Born | Kevin Yates McKendree April 27, 1969 Nuremberg, Germany |
| Origin | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Genres | Electric blues [1] |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Keyboards, guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Website | Official website |
Kevin Yates McKendree (born April 27, 1969) [2] is an American electric blues pianist, keyboardist, guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to having a lengthy and varied career as a session musician, McKendree has released two solo albums.
Born Kevin Yates McKendree, [3] in Nuremberg, Germany, [2] he is a self-taught pianist and guitarist, initially utilizing the playing of Little Richard, Ray Charles and B.B. King as inspiration. When he was 17, he became a professional musician and worked around the Washington, D.C. area playing alongside Big Joe Maher, Tom Principato, Bob Margolin and Mark Wenner. However, he also worked as a piano salesman to supplement his income. [4] He relocated to Nashville in 1995, and secured a job backing Lee Roy Parnell as part of his band known as the Hot Links. [5] McKendree co-wrote and co-produced the instrumental track "Mama, Screw Your Wig On Tight," which appeared on Parnell's 1997 album, Every Night's a Saturday Night . The piece was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1997 for Best Country Instrumental. [1] [6]
In 1997, McKendree toured with Delbert McClinton as his band leader, [1] and played piano and Hammond B3 organ on McClinton's albums Nothing Personal (2001) and Cost of Living (2005), both of which won a Grammy, and Room to Breathe (2002) which was nominated for a similar award. [5] Also McKendree worked in the recording studio backing a diverse array of musicians including Anson Funderburgh and Seven Mary Three ( The Economy of Sound , Orange Ave. ), as well as issuing his debut solo album Miss Laura's Kitchen in 2000. [1] His association with McClinton ended in 2011 allowing McKendree more flexibility. He worked with Brian Setzer, John Oates, T. Graham Brown, Tinsley Ellis, The Knockouts, Hal Ketchum, and George Thorogood ( 2120 South Michigan Ave. ) amongst many others. [5] His work with Tinsley Ellis has had him playing on, and occasionally producing, several of Ellis' albums, including Fire It Up , Kingpin , Hell or High Water , Moment of Truth , Speak No Evil , The Hard Way , and Speak No Evil , among others.
In 2005, McKendree issued his second album, Hammers & Strings. [7] AllMusic noted that it was "a set full of boogie-woogie piano (even on non-blues tunes), blues ballads, and New Orleans-style R&B, this is a delightful outing." [8] In the same year McKendree played on Brian Setzer's album, Rockabilly Riot Vol. 1: A Tribute To Sun Records. [9] [10] In 2008, McKendree contributed to Randy Houser's debut album, Anything Goes , playing Wurlitzer electric piano and Hammond organ. [11]
More recently, McKendree has focused on songwriting and production work in his own recording studio, The Rock House, which is based in Franklin, Tennessee. [4] [5] In 2013, he engineered Sean Chambers' album, The Rock House Sessions, which was recorded in his own studio. [12] [13]
McKendree performs regularly, most recently playing in the Mike Henderson Band at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. [14] [15]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Tall, Dark, & Handsome | Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album | Won | [16] |
| Year | Title | Record label |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Miss Laura's Kitchen | East Folks Records |
| 2005 | Hammers & Strings | Powerhouse Records |
| Authority control databases: Artists |
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