{"id":271084,"date":"2025-05-16T16:52:43","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T20:52:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/livemusicblog.com\/?p=271084"},"modified":"2025-08-08T14:44:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T18:44:10","slug":"larry-mccray-bright-side-heartbreak-city-single","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/livemusicblog.com\/blues-jazz\/blues\/larry-mccray-bright-side-heartbreak-city-single\/","title":{"rendered":"Larry McCray Unleashes New Uplifting Single \u201cBright Side,\u201dPaying Homage To Musical Hero Bobby \u201cBlue\u201d Bland"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On the heels of his soulful lead single \u201cBye Bye Blues<\/a>,\u201d celebrated blues singer and guitarist\u00a0Larry McCray<\/strong>\u00a0returns today with\u00a0\u201c<\/strong>Bright Side<\/a>,<\/strong><\/a>\u201d the second release from his upcoming album\u00a0Heartbreak City<\/em><\/strong>, due out\u00a0June 13 via KTBA Records<\/strong>, the label founded by\u00a0Joe Bonamassa<\/strong>. The mid-tempo burner\u2014written by\u00a0Josh Smith, Michael “Harvey” Price, and Steve Shepherd<\/strong>\u2014was originally penned for the late, great\u00a0Bobby \u201cBlue\u201d Bland<\/strong>, but sat unreleased for decades until producer Josh Smith brought it to McCray, knowing he was the one to bring it to life.
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With deep-in-the-pocket grooves, sly lyrical turns, and an irresistible call-and-response chorus, \u201cBright Side\u201d leans into McCray\u2019s ability to deliver grit with charm and swagger. His weathered vocals ride a classic blues progression that\u2019s equal parts tough and joyful, while his signature guitar tone cuts through like a livewire. \u201cBright Side\u201d shows McCray doing what he does best\u2014delivering emotional truth with musical fire.
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Produced by Grammy-nominated duo Bonamassa and Smith,\u00a0Heartbreak City<\/em>\u00a0is a bold, unfiltered collection that finds McCray at the height of his powers. The ten-track album fuses raw blues with vintage soul, Southern grit, and a hard-won sense of joy, featuring standout contributions from\u00a0Reese Wynans, Kirk Fletcher<\/strong>, and background vocalists\u00a0Jade Macrae<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Dannielle De Andrea<\/strong>, as well as guest guitar work from\u00a0Bonamassa<\/strong>\u00a0himself. The album was recorded at\u00a0Sunset Sound<\/strong>\u00a0in Hollywood and mixed by\u00a0Alan Hertz<\/strong>.
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The project was first introduced with the lead single\u00a0\u201c<\/strong>Bye Bye Blues<\/a>,\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0a finger-snapping throwback co-written with longtime collaborator\u00a0Charlie Walmsley<\/strong>\u00a0that paid homage to the soul icons of McCray\u2019s youth\u2014Johnnie Taylor, Bobby \u201cBlue\u201d Bland, and Little Milton among them.
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Across\u00a0Heartbreak City<\/em>, McCray leans into themes of reflection, resilience, and redemption, drawing from decades of lived experience on and off the stage. His voice\u2014gravelly, weathered, and full of soul\u2014carries the weight of hard-earned wisdom, while his guitar work remains as fiery and fluid as ever. With gospel-tinged harmonies, taut grooves, and a band that matches him punch for punch,\u00a0Heartbreak City<\/em>\u00a0reclaims the blues, reframing it through the lens of someone who\u2019s survived it, played it, and lived it for more than four decades.
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The album follows McCray\u2019s 2022 comeback\u00a0Blues Without You<\/em>, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Blues Chart and was named the\u00a0#1 Blues Album of the Year by Blues Rock Review<\/strong>. The record marked a triumphant return after a seven-year hiatus and helped relaunch McCray onto festival stages and year-end best-of lists. In 2024, he was inducted into the\u00a0Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame<\/strong>, further cementing his place among the greats.
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Born in\u00a0Smackover, Arkansas<\/strong>, and raised in\u00a0Saginaw, Michigan<\/strong>, McCray developed a guitar style that blends the electric fire of Hendrix with the soul of B.B. King and the Southern swing of the Allman Brothers. He was the first artist signed to Virgin Records\u2019 Point Blank imprint in the late \u201980s and went on to release a series of genre-defining albums, including\u00a0Ambition<\/em>,\u00a0Delta Hurricane<\/em>, and\u00a0Born to Play the Blues<\/em>. Over his storied career, McCray has shared the stage with\u00a0B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Albert King, the Allman Brothers<\/a>, Joe Walsh, Jonny Lang<\/strong>, and many more.
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\u201cLarry McCray is a legend,\u201d shares Joe Bonamassa. \u201cWe 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\u2019s now up to the world to rediscover him. He has been here all along.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Larry McCray "Bright Side" Official Lyric Video<\/div><\/div>
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