A common thread among them seems to be: They survived. Not all from their crowd can claim that. For whatever reason, Western Oklahoma and rural North Texas generate more than their share of crazy bastards (and women also). Here are a few names you might recognize from the scene: Ray Wylie Hubbard. Jason Boland, Stoney Larue. Bleu Edmonson. Scott Mellott (from the Groobies). Cody Canada and the Cross Canadian Ragweed Band.
Lamentably, I once supplied drugs to these types and I lost a very dear friend to the lifestyle: Arnold Kersh from Plainview, Texas. Was he crazy? Yep. Absolutely. But at the same time, maybe a little better than the rest of us. Certainly more sensitive. In a crazy world, people do strange things to cope. Talk to any of these and you�ll hear similar stories.
Listen to Mike McClure�s songs and you�ll hear wild tales from that world, but also lessons of survival and redemption. Unlike others, he neither glorifies nor condemns the lifestyle, but is trying to chronicle and understand it. And in so doing, he�s helping some of the rest of us do the same. Maybe he knows it�s not what goes into the mouth that defiles a spirit, but rather, what comes out of it.
Here�s something else Mike won�t like and would never say. Probably wouldn�t even allow me to say so if he had any control over the matter: He�s better at what he does, writing and performing songs, than some of the more popular members of this group. But he ain�t as pretty as they are. (Well he�s prettier than Ray Wylie Hubbard. But then Ray Wylie is also long on talent and short on sex appeal. Please don�t sue me, either of you. You know it�s true.)
Mike was once the driving force behind a band called The Great Divide. Not only did he pen most of their music; he also was the lead singer of the group. Just about the time they were breaking into the national scene in the world of country music, they disbanded. Mike won�t say why they broke up. But here�s what I suspect. It was either that or die.
Some of his critics would have preferred that he continue on a self-destructive course, lived on the edge. I can hardly contain my contempt. But I will, for Mike�s sake.
You can hear it in his music. Mike chose life. A wife. Being a father to his children. And he left behind a little of the hard partying that might well have killed him otherwise. Oh, he still visits his old haunts. Like Jesus, he is more comfortable around sinners than those that think themselves saints. But he always manages to put in a word or so for the good Lord.
And that is what keeps me coming back to his music. The man�s songs are downright spiritual, in a real, useable kind of way.
I don�t own the Great Divide CD�s, but I do have all three of Mike�s solo works since he went on his own. My favorite is Twelve Pieces. This CD is excellent from start to finish. No need to skip tracks looking for the good songs here. The album includes two collaborations with Susan Gibson, Wicked Game of Hearts, and Harder to Ignore. I just can�t say enough about those songs. Excellent isn�t good enough. If I were king and could impose my will, I�d force them to get together for more. The Void is also outstanding and if you want a real tribute to Jesus Christ, you must hear Between Two Thieves.
Everything Upside Down has a harder edge to it. It�s difficult to identify favorites here, (not what to include, but rather what to exclude), but any list would be incomplete without these: Out in the Fields, She Gets to You, and Just Not Good Enough.
Mike�s most recent CD is called Camelot Falling. He does a great job with Van Morrison�s Into the Mystic and then adds to the mix with his own creations: Eden Burning/Camelot Falling, Where the Wild Ones Run, Mustang and another redemption song, Traveler.
I�d be remiss not to mention another CD he was involved with, if for no other reason, a wonderful duet with Susan Gibson called Hung Down Head. The album, Dirt and Spirit, is currently out of print. It features The Great Divide and others, among them Jason Boland and Cody Canada, singing gospel tunes. That�s right, Jason Boland singing a gospel tune.
Mike tells me Lloyd Maines produced his music and was a positive influence during his years with The Great Divide, his mentor. Now it is Mike who serves in a similar position. Among others, he has produced Stoney Larue and Cross Canadian Ragweed�s last few efforts. He also helped a couple of talented youngsters called The Dedringers with a four song EP well worth your time.
Here�s Mike�s Website (http://www.mikemcclureband.com/). Buy his CD�s and check out his live show when he comes your way.
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You will have heard from one of the founders and the forces of the red dirt music scene.
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About the Author – Don Henry Ford, Jr.
When Don’s not writing books he lends out his talent to Americana Roots to put together great articles like this. If you’ve enjoyed what you read, then pick up Don’s latest book Contrabando: Confessions of a Drug Smuggling Cowboy at your local bookstore or online at Cinco Puntos Press.
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