Jim McCarty (guitarist)

For the songwriter, drummer of The Yardbirds, Renaissance (band), Illusion (UK band), see Jim McCarty.

James William McCarty (born June 1, 1945) is an American blues rock guitarist from Detroit, Michigan. He has performed with Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels,^[1] the Buddy Miles Express, Cactus, the popular Detroit rock band The Rockets, the Detroit Blues Band, and more recently, Mystery Train.

He also recorded with Jimi Hendrix and Bob Seger. He plays in a heavy blues-rock style that has inspired fledgling guitar players for more than 40 years.

In 2006, he participated in a Cactus reunion, performing in New York City, Sweden, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. It coincided with the release of a new Cactus album, Cactus V. In 2007, Cactus played a Detroit date, a McCarty homecoming, to a sold-out, standing-room-only house.

In an August 2006 interview on VH1 Classic, Ted Nugent remarked "I'm the only guy in rock'n'roll that plays that hollow body jazz guitar and it's because in 1960 I saw Jimmy McCarty creating those big fat full chords like I do on "Stranglehold"; I learned that from Jimmy McCarty. Remember the name Jimmy McCarty. He is as important as Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry and Les Paul...a god on guitar."

In 2005, Les Paul recorded Les Paul and Friends: American Made, World Played, with an all-star band. He covered 69 Freedom Special, an instrumental tune co-written by McCarty and recorded while in the Buddy Miles Express. In February 2006, Les Paul won a Grammy for his cover of the song, thus propelling McCarty into another award-winning arena as songwriter.

In 2009, a new band, the Hell Drivers, was created. The members are Jim McCarty, Johnny "Bee" Badanjek, Marvin Conrad (bass), and Jim Edwards (vocals). A high-energy band, they play a variety of Detroit rock'n'roll from Iggy, The Rockets, Mitch Ryder, Alice Cooper, Bob Seger and more to great critical acclaim.

On September 25, 2010, Jim McCarty was inducted into the Canada South Blues Society "Living Blues Museum" located in Windsor, Ontario.

Selective discography

Buddy Miles Express

• Expressway to Your Skull (1968)

Tracks:

1. Train
2. Let Your Love Light Shine
3. Don't Mess With Cupid
4. Funky Mule
5. You're the One (That I Adore)
6. I Can't Get Satisfied
7. Spot on the Wall

• Electric Church (1969)

Tracks:

1. Miss Lady
2. 69 Freedom Special
3. Cigarettes & Coffee
4. Destructive Love
5. Texas
6. My Chant
7. Wrap It Up

Several tracks of Electric Church were produced by Jimi Hendrix including McCarty's Grammy Winning song, 69 Freedom Special.

Freedom Express

. Easy Ridin' (1969)

Tracks:

1. Got to Get Your Lovin'
2. Who Can We Depend On?
3. 7-1/2
4. I Just Started Livin'
5. I Just Want to Be Me
6. You Never Get Too Big
7. Born to Be Wild
8. Tomorrow is Promised (To No One)
9. Don't Bogart Me
10. The Pusher

Cactus

• Cactus (1970) [Wounded Bird Records]

Tracks:

1. Parchman Farm
2. My Lady from South of Detroit
3. Bro. Bill
4. You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover
5. Let Me Swim
6. No Need to Worry
7. Oleo
8. Feel So Good

• One Way... Or Another (1971) [Wounded Bird Records]

Tracks:

1. Long Tall Sally
2. Rockout, Whatever You Feel Like
3. Rock 'N' Roll Children
4. Big Mama Boogie, Pt. 1 & 2
5. Feel So Bad
6. Song for Aries
7. Hometown Bust
8. One Way... Or Another

• Restrictions (1972) [Wounded Bird Records]

Tracks:

1. Restrictions
2. Token Chokin'
3. Guiltless Glider
4. Evil
5. Alaska
6. Sweet Sixteen
7. Bag Drag
8. Mean Night in Cleveland

• Cactus V (2006) [Escapi] Tracks:

1. Doing Time
2. Muscle and Soul
3. Cactus Music
4. The Groover
5. High in the City
6. Day for Night
7. Living for Today
8. Shine
9. Electric Blue
10. Your Brother's Keeper
11. Blues for Mr. Day [Instrumental]
12. Part of the Game
13. Gone Train Gone
14. Jazzed [Instrumental]

The Rockets

• Love Transfusion 1977 RCA Records

Tracks:

1. Fast Thing In "D"etroit
2. Fell Out Of Love
3. My Heart Needs You
4. Lookin' For Love
5. I Got To Move
6. Ramona
7. Fly Little Bird
8. Love Transfusion
9. She's A Pretty One

• Rockets (Turn Up the Radio) 1979 RSO Records

Tracks:

1. Can't Sleep
2. Turn Up The Radio
3. Oh Well
4. Lost Forever, Left For Dreaming
5. Long Long Gone
6. Love Me Once Again
7. Something Ain't Right
8. Lucille
9. Feel Alright

• No Ballads 1980 RSO Records

Tracks

1. Desire
2. Don't Hold On
3. Restless
4. Sally Can't Dance
5. Takin' It Back
6. Time After Time
7. Sad Songs
8. I Want You To Love Me
9. Is It True
10. Troublemaker

• Back Talk 1981 Elektra Records

Tracks:

1. Back Talk
2. Jealous
3. Lift You Up
4. Shanghaied
5. Love For Hire
6. I Can't Get Satisfied
7. Tired Of Wearing Black
8. I'll Be Your Lover
9. American Dreams
10. Lie To Me

• Rocket Roll 1982 Elektra Records

Tracks:

1. Rollin' By The Record Machine
2. Rock 'N Roll Girl
3. Gonna Crash
4. (I Wanna) Testify
5. Gimme Your Love
6. Born In Detroit
7. All Night Long
8. Kid With The Heart
9. Rollin' And Tumblin'
10. Mean Streets

• Live Rockets 1983 Capitol records

Tracks:

1. Rollin' By The Record Machine
2. Desire
3. Can't Sleep
4. Sally Can't Dance
5. Takin' It Back
6. Open The Door To Your Heart
7. Oh Well
8. Turn Up The Radio
9. Born In Detroit

Detroit Blues Band

• Real Life (1990) [Blues Factory]

Tracks:

1. Back On my Feet Again
2. My Life Is Ruined
3. Luann
4. Go Downtown
5. She Knows It
6. Goin' back to Memphis
7. Scandalous Behavior
8. Walkin Out The Door
9. Treat Me Right

• Can't Get You Off My Mind (1995) [No Cover Productions]

Tracks:

1. Sister's Got a Lover
2. Tell Me
3. Every Day I Have the Blues
4. Won't You Consider
5. Missing You
6. She Winked Her Eye
7. Too Close for Comfort
8. East Side Gal
9. Tears from My Eyes
10. Can't Get You off My Mind

Mystery Train

• Love Lost (2001)

Tracks:

1. I Need You
2. Your Loss Now
3. I'm all alone
4. Where were you baby?
5. Allman Joy
6. Hold it right there
7. Love is a Rough Business
8. Come back to me
9. I'll never turn my back on you
10. Cold wind

• Lexus - Live at the Detroit International Auto Show (2002)

Tracks:

1. Rock with Me
2. Honey Hush
3. Need Your Love So Bad
4. T-Bone shuffle
5. As the years go passing by
6. Help Me
7. Standing on shaky ground
8. Oh Well

^[2]

References