Career

Early years

McClinton was born in Lubbock, Texas, and relocated with his family to Fort Worth, Texas, when he was 11 years old. He worked in a bar band, the Straitjackets, who played backing Sonny Boy Williamson II, Howlin' Wolf, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Jimmy Reed. McClinton recorded several regional singles before hitting the national chart in 1962, playing harmonica on Bruce Channel's "Hey! Baby". On a tour with Channel in the United Kingdom, McClinton instructed John Lennon on the finer points of blues harmonica playing.

McClinton formed the Ron-Dels, sometimes called Rondells, with Ronnie Kelly and Billy Ray Sanders. The band had a chart single in 1965 with "If You Really Want Me to I'll Go."

1970s

Relocating to Los Angeles in 1972, McClinton partnered with fellow Texan Glen Clark to perform a combination of country and soul music. They achieved a degree of artistic success, releasing two albums before splitting and McClinton embarked on a solo career.

Emmylou Harris had a number 1 hit in 1978 with her recording of McClinton's composition "Two More Bottles of Wine," and his "B Movie Boxcar Blues" was covered on the first album by the Blues Brothers, Briefcase Full of Blues.

1980s and 1990s

McClinton's 1980 album, The Jealous Kind, contained his only Top 40 hit single, "Givin' It Up for Your Love", which peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. After an inactive period during much of the 1980s, McClinton made a return in 1989 with the Grammy-nominated album Live From Austin, recorded during an appearance on the teevision program Austin City Limits and co-produced by saxophonist Don Wise.

In 1991 he won a Grammy Award for his duet with Bonnie Raitt, "Good Man, Good Woman", and reached the Top 5 of the Country chart with "Tell Me About It", a duet with Tanya Tucker. He reentered the Billboard charts in 1992 with the album Never Been Rocked Enough, which included the charting "Every Time I Roll the Dice" and a cover of John Hiatt's "Have a Little Faith in Me."

McClinton recorded the opening title song, "Weatherman", for the 1992 Bill Murray film Groundhog Day. The fledgling label Rising Tide released One of the Fortunate Few in 1997, before the label went out of business.

2000-present

McClinton releasing two studio albums in the early 2000s for New West Records, which also issued Delbert McClinton Live in 2003, a compilation album of songs from throughout his career. In 2006, he won a Grammy Award for his album The Cost of Living in the category Best Contemporary Blues Album.

McClinton was a judge for the fourth annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.

He is featured of the documentary Rocking the Boat: A Musical Conversation and Journey, by the filmmaker Jay Curlee.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album	Chart Positions				Label
1972	Delbert & Glen					Clean
1973	Subject to Change
1975	Victim of Life's Circumstances					ABC
1976	Genuine Cowhide
1977	Love Rustler		49
1978	Second Wind					Mercury
1979	Keeper of the Flame			146
1980	The Jealous Kind			34		Capitol
1981	Plain from the Heart			181
1987	Honky Tonkin'					MCA
1989	Honky Tonkin'					Alligator
	Live from Austin
1990	I'm with You					Curb
1992	Never Been Rocked Enough			118
1993	Feelin' Alright					Intermedia
	Delbert McClinton					Curb
1994	Shot from the Saddle					Mercury
	Honky Tonk 'n Blues					MCA
1995	Let the Good Times Roll
1997	One of the Fortunate Few	2	15	116		Rising Tide
2001	Nothing Personal	1	20	103	3	New West
2002	Room to Breathe	1	12	84	3
2003	Live		44		31
2005	Cost of Living	1	14	105	16
2006	Live from Austin, TX
2007	Rockin' Blues					Direct Source
2009	Acquired Taste	1		131	23	New West
2013	Blind, Crippled and Crazy			172

Compilation albums

Year	Album	Label
1978	Very Early Delbert McClinton Volume 1	LeCam
	Very Early Delbert McClinton Volume 2	LeCam
1989	The Best of Delbert McClinton	Curb
1994	Classics, Volume 1	Capitol
	Classics, Vol. 2: Plain from the Heart	Curb
1995	Great Songs: Come Together
1999	Crazy Cajun Recordings	Edsel
	The Ultimate Collection	Hip-O
2000	Don't Let Go: The Collection	Music Club
	Genuine Rhythm & the Blues	Hip-O
2003	20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Delbert McClinton	MCA
2006	The Definitive Collection	Hip-O

Singles

Year	Single	Chart Positions						Album
1965	"If You Really Want Me To, I'll Go"	97	—	—	—	—		Very Early Delbert McClinton Volume 1
1972	"I Received a Letter"	90	—	—	—	—	—	Delbert & Glen
1980	"Giving It Up for Your Love"	8	35	—	—	10	—	The Jealous Kind
1981	"Shotgun Rider"	70	—	—	—	—	—	Plain from the Heart
	"Sandy Beaches"	101	—	—	—	—	—
1990	"I'm with You"	—	—	—	—	—	—	I'm with You
1992	"Every Time I Roll the Dice"	—	—	—	13	40	—	Never Been Rocked Enough
1995	"Come Together"	—	—	—	—	—	—	Come Together: America Salutes the Beatles
1997	"Sending Me Angels"	—	—	65	—	—	92	One of the Fortunate Few
2001	"When Rita Leaves"	—	—	—	—	—	—	Nothing Personal
2002	"Same Kind of Crazy"	—	—	—	—	—	—	Room to Breathe
	"Lone Star Blues"	—	—	—	—	—	—
2005	"One of the Fortunate Few"	—	—	—	—	—	—	Cost of Living
	"I Had a Real Good Time"	—	—	—	—	—	—
2006	"Midnight Communion"	—	—	—	—	—	—
2009	"Mama's Little Baby"	—	—	—	—	—	—	Acquired Taste
	"Starting a Rumor"	—	—	—	—	—	—

Guest singles

Year	Single	Artist	Chart Positions		Album
1993	"Tell Me About It"	Tanya Tucker	4	3	Can't Run from Yourself

[ Source: Wikipedia ]