Jenna McClelland is a songwriter-showman from Mobile, AL by way of Opelika. She was sired by Billy Earl McClelland, a late songwriter with credits from Hank Williams Jr., Waylon Jennings, Jerry Jeff Walker, T.G. Sheppard, Sawyer Brown, and Delbert McClinton. Her father was also known for his guitar session work for B.J. Thomas, Willie Nelson, Tony Joe White, Hank Snow, Townes Van Zandt, and more. Jenna was blood- destined to follow suit performing and writing the blues, soul, and rock & roll. Since 2013, Jenna has written and released her music and traveled the Southeast performing everywhere from dive bars to large stages. Jenna was raised and got her start in her home town of Maryville, TN, where she and her band meticulously moved from local bars and restaurants to ticketed showcases and hot opening slots. From garage band to hometown heroes, Jenna quickly became known for her energetic full band performances and her way of molding songs you know and love into her very own, showing audiences something unique, refreshing, and energizing. Knoxville’s Open Chord has featured Jenna as an opening act for Bonnie Bishop and Ernie Halter, and she and her band have represented Maryville, TN at The Shed opening a sold out night for Whiskey Myers.
McClelland took a leap of faith in 2016 and moved her career, along with a few pieces of furniture, to Nashville. Here she began kicking down doors, performing alongside other hungry musicians and songwriters. Jenna is no stranger to the Whiskey Jam stage, and has been featured on several music row writers rounds. With a Nashville address, McClelland found herself on iconic stages like Exit/In and the Basement East, billed with even more illustrious songwriters and performers, Them Vibes, Ben de la Cour, and Blue Mother Tupelo amongst the many.
We are all familiar with the old saying, “You can take the girl out of Alabama…” and this remained true for Jenna McClelland. Alabama called to her, further South this time, where she met her fiancé, drummer Travis Patch. They presently reside in Patch’s childhood home in Mobile, AL with their son, Isaac.
February 2022 brought on new adventures and extraordinary opportunities when she got a phone call from peer and hit songwriter, Elvie Shane (double platinum #1 single “My Boy”). The two had met six years prior at the Frank Brown International Songwriter’s Festival, and Elvie had phoned to offer a touring back-up vocal position in his band, The Broken Arrows. With no plan to decline, life quickly turned on a dime for Jenna as she found herself in new territory- festivals, tour buses, grand stands, arenas! Elvie, Jenna, and team stomped, shook, hollered, and grooved their way through summer 2022, headlining the cool clubs and sharing the stages with the likes of Brooks and Dunn, Dierks Bentley, Lauren Alaina, HARDY, and many more.
As Jenna raises her family and continues singing on Elvie Shane’s right shoulder all over the US, she is diligently working on getting her third collection of original works put together in what will be her most riveting compilation yet.