Delbert McClinton: Lubbock’s Soulful Survivor

Today is the birthday of Delbert McClinton. He is 86 today.

Delbert McClinton was born in Lubbock, Texas on November 4, 1940. He grew up in Fort Worth, playing harmonica in the clubs of the Jacksboro Highway strip in the 1950s — a stretch of honky-tonks and dance halls that ran along the city’s north side. He was backing Black blues musicians at a time when that wasn’t always safe for a white kid from Fort Worth. He played the harmonica parts behind Bruce Channel on “Hey! Baby” in 1962. He played that part so well that John Lennon asked him how he did it during a tour stop in England.

The Lesson He Gave John Lennon

McClinton showed Lennon his harmonica technique. Lennon went home and put it to use on “Love Me Do.” McClinton won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album for Nothing Personal in 2001. But awards never quite captured his appeal — which is the appeal of a performer who has been absolutely committed to the music for sixty years without ever chasing what was fashionable. He plays Fort Worth and Austin as faithfully as he plays any stage in the world. Find his place items on Texas Music Map.