Steve Mackey

Pat McLaughlin is a maverick. The revered, if a bit enigmatic, singer, songwriter and guitarist has spent years honing his layered style. Dedicated only to the pursuit of a new groove or an old feeling, his songs rehash the sights and sounds of a reformed nomad with roots in Iowa, footprints in San Francisco, New Orleans and Chicago, and a home in Nashville.McLaughlins compositions have been recorded by a jaw-dropping array of artists including Bonnie Raitt, Alan Jackson, Taj Mahal, Trisha Yearwood, Al Kooper, Nanci Griffith, Josh Turner, Shawn Camp and Don Williams. Gary Allan recorded Pats Songs About Rain, securing yet another BMI Country Award for McLaughlin. An in-demand studio musician, Pats guitar chunking finessed projects by Jamie Hartford, Rosanne Cash, Julie Roberts, Don Williams, Al Cooper, Shawn Camp, Cowboy Jack Clement, Neil Diamond and many more. As further testament to McLaughlins skill, engineer David Ferguson called on Pat to play acoustic guitar for the final Johnny Cash recording sessions. A frequent collaborator of John Prine, Pat McLaughlin frequently finds himself working alongside legends. Rolling Stone called McLaughlin a tasty, rootsy gem, while he prompted the Tennesseans Peter Cooper to spout poetry: Groove and soul, slink and stutter, groove and soul, wisdom and pain, groove and soul. In 2006, McLaughlin released Horsefly, again featuring the co-production credits of McLaughlin and Kenny Greenberg. Loose but focused, the tracks ebb and flow seamlessly, offering wry observations on lifes satisfactions and misfires. No one since Dan Penn has better mixed 60s soul idioms with country music sentiment, proclaimed the Chicago Sun-Times. Pat McLaughlin is an American treasure.