Delbert McClinton and his band the Straitjackets whipping the crowd into a frenzy around 1960. His new albumPhoto courtesy of the James Pennebaker archives
Talking on the phone from his home in Nashville, McClinton speaks with conviction. At 81, he is a graybeard in the music community, but his intensity is not diminished. McClinton has won six Grammy Awards, recorded over 30 albums, scored a Top 10 pop hit , and even provided harmonica tips to a young John Lennon when the two musicians were on the same bill in 1962. So he has earned his bona fides.
The radio had a significant impact on McClinton. In particular, he recalls listening to Wolfman Jack on XERF, an AM station with a flamethrower of a signal that sat just over the Mexican border near Del Rio. “Wolfman Jack had a great line of shit,” he says. “That’s the secret. You've got to have a better line of shit than the other guy.”
The Skyliner was located on the infamous Jacksboro Highway, a stretch of road with an ignominious reputation. Along that route, someone looking for a good time could certainly find it among the numerous bars, clubs, and strip joints. In addition to playing their own sets, McClinton and his band sometimes provided musical accompaniment for exotic dancers.
McClinton’s groups, particularly the Straitjackets and the Rondels, were known as great bar bands. That particular term has fallen into disfavor in some circles, with musicians saying that they “don’t want to sound like a bar band.”
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