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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZMcGHEE, Wes(b 26 October 1948, Lutterworth, Leicestershire) Country singer-songwriter and guitarist with cult following in UK who filled halls in Austin, Texas. He worked in Hamburg, Germany in the 1960s, led his own band in the UK early '70s, and after years of college pub/gigs was enchanted by what was later broadly called country rock: ignored by record companies he decided to do it himself. With bassist Arthur Anderson (played with Ritchie Blackmore, Screamin' Lord Sutch) he built a studio at home in Golders Green, North London, released Long Nights And Banjo Music '78 on own Terrapin label (backing included Rick Lloyd, later with Flying Pickets): though eclipsed by later LPs, it demonstrated that authentic Tex-Mex can be produced well outside Texas if the artist knows what he's doing. Inspired by a lengthy visit to Austin they made Airmail, with B. J. Cole on pedal steel, drummer Terry Stannard and backing vocalist Hank Wangford. They returned to Texas to make Landing Lights with Texas sidemen Ponty Bone on accordion, Lloyd Maines on steel, Fred Krc on drums (pronounced 'Kirsch'; b Alfred Edward Krc, 17 April 1954, Houston; played/recorded with Jerry Jeff Walker, also led the Explosives: LP Restless Natives '81 on Ready Go label, with Kim Wilson from the Fabulous Thunderbirds; backed vocalist/pianist/guitarist R.C. Banks '87 on Amazing, with McGhee, Bone, others; also Freddie 'Steady' Krc And Wild Country '87 also on Amazing). Guitarist/mandolinist Dermot O'Conner had also joined (b 3 December 1947, London); by the time Landing Lights was issued '83 on McGhee's TRP label Anderson had left the partnership. By now there was public movement towards roots music, and there seemed to be signs of commercial progress: two-disc set Thanks For The Chicken '85 was made live in Austin with Krc, Bone, fine picking from O'Conner and McGhee; they were already well-known for 'Texas Fever'; further first-class songs included 'Neon And Dust', 'How Do We Get There From Here'. Zacatexas '86 was made in the UK with Bone, Krc, and O'Conner; 'Monterrey' stood out. UK pub gigs '86 were enlivened by visits onstage from Terry Allen and Butch Hancock; McGhee signed with Bug Music in Nashville '86; he worked regularly in Texas, occasionally played lead guitar with Kimmie Rhodes. Neon And Dust '91 on Minidoka was a compilation; the label went bust and Heartache Avenue: Classic Recordings 1978-92 '96 was a superb 75-minute compilation on John Tobler's Road Goes on Forever label, with five new tracks that didn't fit on Border Guitars '94 on RGF, a mainly acoustic album. McGhee produced Smaller Circles by Native American poet Roxy Gordon, played in trio backing Billy Swan on Driving Wheel, both announced for RFG, as was a reissue of McGhee's Landing Lights. He might have become the first UK performer in the country style to attain international stardom, but meanwhile the music business has splintered into a great many bits. |