Shannon McNally on Muddy Bottom Blues

Blues muddy background

Program # 249 (June 25 at 8:00 p.m. and June 26 at 3:00 p.m.)

Singer and songwriter Shannon McNally first appeared amid roots rock and the early 2000s American revival.

A clever mix of soul, blues, rock and country, McNally has established herself with releases like Jukebox Sparrows in 2002 and North American Ghost Music in 2006, while seeking interesting collaborations with Neal Casal, John Hiatt, Charlie Sexton and Dave Alvin.

Working prolifically between major and independent labels, McNally marked other career highlights with the Dr. John collaboration in 2013 Small Town Talk (Songs of Bobby Charles) and acclaimed Black Irish in 2017. Known to honor and raising the music of her heroes, she offered another tribute in 2021’s The Waylon Sessions, covering the music of Waylon Jennings.

Growing up on Long Island, McNally drew inspiration from his parents’ record collection and began singing songs at home with his guitarist father. The albums of Bob Dylan, Leadbelly, Nina Simone, The Band, Emmylou Harris and PJ Harvey were her first inspirations, and after college she spent a period abroad, in Paris.

Executives at a small music publishing house drew the attention of Capitol Records executives to McNally’s considerable talent, which in turn led to his critically acclaimed debut, Jukebox Sparrows, in 2002. On the album, she was accompanied by several notable studio veterans, including Jim Keltner, James Gadson and Greg Leisz.

A summer tour in support of John Mellencamp also helped raise McNally’s profile, as did Ran’s release on Pure Lightning, a collaborative EP with songwriter Neal Casal.

Over the following years, she maintained a prolific production, recording for both independent labels and majors. After Run for Cover in 2004, McNally signed with Universal-affiliated Back Porch label and released Geronimo (2005) and North American Ghost Music (2006). By this point, she had moved from New York to New Orleans, immersing herself in the influence of the South.

After touring and working with Son Volt, McNally took most of 2008 to give birth to her daughter. She resumed touring in 2009, joining Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women for a spell, then self-published the feature film Coldwater with her band Hot Sauce.

In early 2011, McNally released the stellar Western Ballad (on his Sacred Sumac imprint), which continued to reflect influences from traditional folk, classic blues, blues-rock, and country. Recorded during a difficult time while going through a divorce and breastfeeding his terminally ill mother in Mississippi, Small Town Talk (Songs of Bobby Charles) from 2013 proved to be another highlight of his career. A tribute to her friend and notorious influence Bobby Charles, she was joined on the album by heavyweights like Dr. John, Derek Trucks, Luther Dickinson and Vince Gill, among others.

After the death of his mother in 2015, McNally reunites with his friend Rodney Crowell, who helped co-write and produce his 2017 Black Irish effort. Debuting for the Compass label, the album was recorded in Nashville, but its distinctive sense of place lies 210 miles west, where Memphis meets Mississippi. A stint at Terry Allen’s Panhandle Mystery Band was followed in 2021 by the release of The Waylon Sessions, another tribute, this time to the great Texas outlaw singer Waylon Jennings.

(provided by Allmusic)

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