“I lost my mojo for a minute, but they propped me back up”: He was one of the great blues guitar talents of the ’90s, then the gigs dried up. Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith helped him get his game face back on

Larry McCray was one of the great new-generation blues guitarists of the ’90s, emerging out of Saginaw, Michigan, with 1993’s excellent Delta Hurricane.

He was a regular at blues festivals and clubs around the world, touring with Gary Moore, Albert Collins and many other guitar legends. McCray also released several albums grounded by his stinging playing – which was reminiscent of Albert King – and soulful, gospel-infused singing.

By the time of the pandemic in 2020, however, McCray had not released new music in years and was barely touring outside of Michigan. That’s when Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith drove up to his rural home and proposed working together.

The resulting album, 2022’s Blues Without You, was a fantastic, assertive return to form. The album put him back on the national blues map, and his profile was raised further on annual tours with the Allman Betts Family Revival.

Now he’s back with Heartbreak City, his excellent second album, produced by Smith and Bonamassa, who also appear on the record alongside the California blues master Kirk Fletcher.

“I totally trust those guys behind the board. When you have that, it’s fun and easy to work together,” McCray says. “I was intimidated on the first one because we were just meeting, and I had lost a lot of confidence after having down days in my career. I kind of lost my mojo for a minute, but they propped me back up.”

Michigan master Larry McCray's life-changing blues technique - YouTube

Watch On

McCray’s mojo is definitely working again. In addition to his two outstanding solo albums, he also appears on Devon Allman’s The Blues Summit album and the associated Blues Summit tour.

“I’ve had a personal rejuvenation,” McCray says. “When you’re starting out, you want to be the brightest star ever. But after you get your feet wet, you know success doesn’t always mean being the biggest fish in the pond. I appreciate what I’ve accomplished, and now I feel like I have another shot – and I am all in on it!”

Axology

Guitars

2003 Gibson Les Paul V with Burstbucker pickups; ’57 Gibson Les Paul goldtop with ’57 PAF Classics; 2001 Gibson Blueshawk with noise-canceling P90 pickups, three-way toggle and six-way Varitone selector (“It can sound like a beefed-up Telecaster or a big jazz box similar to a Gibson L5”); DeArmond M70, M75 and Jetstar

Amps

1971 and ’73 Fender Deluxe Reverb, both modified with solid-state rectifiers, rebiased and tubed with 6L6 power tubes. Red Plate 50W Sonic Mist 1x12 cab with Warehouse guitar speakers. Peavey Classic 50 with 1x12 speaker

Effects

Klon Centaur, Joe Bonamassa FET Driver, Dunlop Cry Baby Classic

• Heartbreak City is out now via KTBA Records.
• This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.