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From Heartbreak City, His Upcoming Studio Album Out June 13th on Bonamassa’s KTBA Records
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On the heels of his soulful lead single “Bye Bye Blues,” celebrated blues singer and guitarist Larry McCray returns today with “Bright Side,” the second release from his upcoming album Heartbreak City, due out June 13 via KTBA Records, the label founded by Joe Bonamassa. The mid-tempo burner—written by Josh Smith, Michael "Harvey" Price, and Steve Shepherd—was originally penned for the late, great Bobby “Blue” Bland, but sat unreleased for decades until producer Josh Smith brought it to McCray, knowing he was the one to bring it to life.
With deep-in-the-pocket grooves, sly lyrical turns, and an irresistible call-and-response chorus, “Bright Side” leans into McCray’s ability to deliver grit with charm and swagger. His weathered vocals ride a classic blues progression that’s equal parts tough and joyful, while his signature guitar tone cuts through like a livewire. “Bright Side” shows McCray doing what he does best—delivering emotional truth with musical fire.
Produced by Grammy-nominated duo Bonamassa and Smith, Heartbreak Cityis a bold, unfiltered collection that finds McCray at the height of his powers. The ten-track album fuses raw blues with vintage soul, Southern grit, and a hard-won sense of joy, featuring standout contributions from Reese Wynans, Kirk Fletcher, and background vocalists Jade Macrae and Dannielle De Andrea, as well as guest guitar work from Bonamassa himself. The album was recorded at Sunset Sound in Hollywood and mixed by Alan Hertz.
The project was first introduced with the lead single “Bye Bye Blues,” a finger-snapping throwback co-written with longtime collaborator Charlie Walmsleythat paid homage to the soul icons of McCray’s youth—Johnnie Taylor, Bobby “Blue” Bland, and Little Milton among them.
Across Heartbreak City, McCray leans into themes of reflection, resilience, and redemption, drawing from decades of lived experience on and off the stage. His voice—gravelly, weathered, and full of soul—carries the weight of hard-earned wisdom, while his guitar work remains as fiery and fluid as ever. With gospel-tinged harmonies, taut grooves, and a band that matches him punch for punch, Heartbreak City reclaims the blues, reframing it through the lens of someone who’s survived it, played it, and lived it for more than four decades.
The album follows McCray’s 2022 comeback Blues Without You, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Blues Chart and was named the #1 Blues Album of the Year by Blues Rock Review. The record marked a triumphant return after a seven-year hiatus and helped relaunch McCray onto festival stages and year-end best-of lists. In 2024, he was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame, further cementing his place among the greats.
Born in Smackover, Arkansas, and raised in Saginaw, Michigan, McCray developed a guitar style that blends the electric fire of Hendrix with the soul of B.B. King and the Southern swing of the Allman Brothers. He was the first artist signed to Virgin Records’ Point Blank imprint in the late ’80s and went on to release a series of genre-defining albums, including Ambition, Delta Hurricane, and Born to Play the Blues. Over his storied career, McCray has shared the stage with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Albert King, the Allman Brothers, Joe Walsh, Jonny Lang, and many more.
“Larry McCray is a legend,” shares Joe Bonamassa. “We have known that for 30 years. He is the last of the great blues shouters from the Rust Belt. In the spirit of BB King, Luther Allison, and Little Milton, Larry is among the greats. It’s now up to the world to rediscover him. He has been here all along.”
About Larry McCray
Blues singer and guitarist Larry McCray was born in Magnolia, Arkansas, and raised in Saginaw, Michigan, where he developed a searing guitar style and emotive voice that would earn him comparisons to the genre’s greats. A pioneer of modern blues-rock, McCray helped shape the genre throughout the ’90s with albums on Virgin’s Point Blank label and through collaborations with legends like B.B. King, Albert King, and Buddy Guy. After years of grinding it out on the road and surviving personal struggles, McCray has emerged with a renewed sense of purpose—and a voice that’s deeper, richer, and more powerful than ever. With Heartbreak City, he cements his status as a timeless torchbearer of the blues.
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