FEELING BLUE AGAIN
Larry Mccray bringing staple act back to St. Louis after 3-year hiatus
After a three-year hiatus the Blues are returning to St. Louis.
The Gem Theatre at 205 N Mill St. will be hosting a grand re-opening at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 1 featuring the blues artist that began it all — Larry Mcray.
The 62-year-old Arkansas native, who moved to Saginaw at the age of 12, was the very first musician to play at the former downtown movie theater after it was purchased and renovated by Minard Shattuck.
That show took place on March 17, 2007.
The historic venue, which was once also home to the Gratiot County Players before the group moved its home base to the Strand Theater in Alma, hosted a variety of Blues greats until it closed in early 2020 with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mcray and the Larry Mccray Band has recorded a number of albums and CDS and have performed throughout the country sharing the stage with such blues and rock legends as B.B. King, Buddy Gay, the Allman Brothers and Joe Walsh, among many others.
Mccray and his eight siblings grew up on an Arkansas farm before moving to Michigan in 1972. His sister, Clara, taught him to play the guitar and he learned to play the saxophone in school.
In late 1980s Mccray drew the attention of Virgin Records executive John Wooler, who had started a subsidiary label, Point Blank Records, featuring blues and soul music.
He signed Mccray as his first artist. His first album, “Ambition,” was recorded in the basement studio of Mccray’s friend’s home in Detroit and released in 1990 to critical acclaim. That was the beginning of three decades of touring and the release of several more albums.
According to Mccray’s website, in 2021, he recorded his most recent album, “Blues Without You,” on famed blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping the Blues Alive record label.
“Larry’s still a relatively young man with a lot to say and the world needs to know who he is,” Bonamassa said. “It’s the perfect time to have a rebirth of his music.”
Seating for Mccray’s April 1 performance at the Gem Theater has been sold out but standing room only tickets will go on sale at 7:15 p.m. that evening.
Some portable chairs may be available. Beer, wine and spirits will be sold during the show.
For more details check out the theater’s Facebook page.