Stream ‘Bright Side‘ – here
With deep-in-the-pocket grooves, sly lyrical turns, and an irresistible call-and-response chorus, ‘Bright Side‘ leans into McCray’s ability to deliver grit with charm and swagger. His weathered vocals ride a classic blues progression that’s equal parts tough and joyful, while his signature guitar tone cuts through like a livewire. ‘Bright Side‘ shows McCray doing what he does best—delivering emotional truth with musical fire.
Produced by Grammy nominated duo Bonamassa and Josh Smith, ‘Heartbreak City‘ is a bold, unfiltered collection that finds McCray at the height of his powers—fusing raw blues with vintage soul, Southern grit, and a hard-won sense of joy.
The ten-track album features standout contributions from Reese Wynans, Kirk Fletcher, and background vocalists Jade Macrae and Dannielle De Andrea, as well as guest guitar work from Bonamassa himself. The record was recorded at the iconic Sunset Sound in Hollywood and mixed by Alan Hertz.
On the title track, McCray taps into the spirit of the club stages that shaped his early career, with gritty vocals and a smoldering guitar solo that reflect his decades of road-tested experience.
“I feel like this album captures all the different sides of who I am,” says McCray. “It’s soul, it’s blues, it’s truth. It’s everything I’ve lived.”
Across the album, McCray leans into themes of reflection, resilience, and redemption, drawing from decades of lived experience on and off the stage. His voice—gravelly, weathered, and full of soul—carries the weight of hard-earned wisdom, while his guitar work remains as fiery and fluid as ever. With dynamic arrangements, gospel-tinged harmonies, and a band that matches him punch for punch, ‘Heartbreak City‘ doesn’t just revisit the blues—it reclaims it, reframing it through the lens of someone who’s survived it, played it, and lived it for more than four decades.
The release follows 2022’s ‘Blues Without You‘, which marked McCray’s long-awaited return after a seven-year hiatus. The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Blues chart and was named the #1 Blues Album of 2022 by Blues Rock Review, solidifying his status as a torchbearer of modern blues. In 2024, McCray was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame, a testament to his deep roots in the state and his enduring impact on American music. Now, ‘Heartbreak City‘ builds on that momentum. It’s a record that reflects Larry McCray at his most self-assured and grounded in tradition, but more fearless than ever.
A native of Smackover, Arkansas, McCray grew up immersed in gospel, soul, and the blues stylings of B.B., Albert, and Freddie King. After relocating to Saginaw, Michigan, at age 12, he developed a style that merged deep blues with the fire of Hendrix and the Southern grooves of the Allman Brothers.
He was signed in the late ’80s as the first artist on Virgin Records’ Point Blank imprint and released a string of widely praised albums including ‘Ambition‘ (1990), ‘Delta Hurricane‘ (1993), and ‘Born to Play the Blues‘ (1998). Over the course of his career, McCray has shared stages with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Albert King, Joe Walsh, the Allman Brothers, Jonny Lang, and of course, his modern-day champion and label head Joe Bonamassa.
“Larry McCray is a legend,” shares Bonamassa. “We have known that for 30 years. He is the last of the great blues shouters from the Rust Belt. In the spirit of BB King, Luther Allison, and Little Milton, Larry is among the greats. It’s now up to the world to rediscover him. He has been here all along.”
Tracklisting:
- Try To Be A Good Man
- Heartbreak City
- Bye Bye Blues
- Bright Side
- Everything Falls On Me
- I Know What I’ve Done (feat. Joe Bonamassa)
- Keep On Loving My Baby (feat. Kirk Fletcher & Josh Smith)
- Hangman
- Stop Your Crying
- Crazy World
Tour Dates:
May 24 – Burton, MI – Burton Rock & Blues Festival
August 24 – Marshfield, MA – North River Blues Fest
September 15-21 – Seattle, WA – Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea Alaska
Devon Allman’s Blues Summit Tour
** Features Devon Allman, Jimmy Hall, Larry McCray & Sierra Green
August 7 – Baton Rouge, LA – Raising Cane’s River Center
August 8 – Lake Charles, LA – The Rosa Hart Theatre
August 9 – Pensacola, FL – Saenger Theater
August 10 – Montgomery, AL – Montgomery Performing Arts Center
August 12 – Nashville, TN – Fogg St Lawn Club
August 13 – Union Hall, VA – The Coves
August 14 – Hopewell, VA – The Beacon Theatre
August 15 – Norfolk, CT – Infinity Music Hall
August 16 – Jordan, NY – Kegs Canalside
August 17 – Kingston, NY – Ulster Performing Arts Center
August 20 – Atlantic City, NJ – Mardi Gras AC @ Kennedy Plaza
August 21 – Cranston, RI – The Park Theatre
August 23 – Nashua, NH – Nashua Center for the Arts
September 4 – Phoenix, AZ – MIM
September 5 – Las Vegas, NV – Big Blues Bender
September 6 – San Juan Capistrano, CA – Coach House
September 9 – Santa Fe, NM – The Lensic
September 10 – Beaver Creek, CO – Vilar Performing Arts Center
September 11 – Parker, CO – The Pace Center
September 12-13 – Telluride, CO – Telluride Blues & Brews Festival
About Larry McCray:
Blues singer and guitarist Larry McCray was born in Magnolia, Arkansas, and raised in Saginaw, Michigan, where he developed a searing guitar style and emotive voice that would earn him comparisons to the genre’s greats. A pioneer of modern blues-rock, McCray helped shape the genre throughout the ’90s with albums on Virgin’s Point Blank label and through collaborations with legends like B.B. King, Albert King, and Buddy Guy.
After years of grinding it out on the road and surviving personal struggles, McCray has emerged with a renewed sense of purpose—and a voice that’s deeper, richer, and more powerful than ever. With ‘Heartbreak City‘, he cements his status as a timeless torchbearer of the blues.
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