Born in Baltimore, Maryland, but now living in the same hometown which
celebrated the legendary blues pianist, the late Johnnie Johnson, blues
guitarist Dennis McClung started listening to Fats
Domino at the age of three. Since then, blues music has entwined itself
around his soul, and it's his undying passion for the blues that keeps
the Dennis McClung Blues Band playing. McClung embraces the emotions
behind the music and believes that breathing life into these emotions is
what gives the blues its real soul. "The blues," according to McClung,
"is the language of the Truth. Plain and simple." McClung's greatest
gift to the blues is found in his sense of touch, a rare quality
discerned in both his vocal and guitar work. Over the years, McClung has
gathered inspiration from a diversity of artists such as
Ray Charles,
John Lee Hooker,
Albert King,
Stevie Ray Vaughn, and
Muddy Waters.
Called "a force
of nature," "the real deal," and "the genuine article," McClung recorded
his first CD, "Prisoner of the Blues," in 1998 as a testimony to the
emotionally tough events in life. BluesWax, the world's largest virtual
blues publication, addressed the authenticity of this release by saying
it was "tasty blues, served up hot and intense...the kind you'd like to
feast on in a hot, smoky club. Prisoner of the Blues has a quality sound
that is hard to come by." Blues Revue magazine also caught "the real
deal" by saying, "This CD finds its power in McClung's potent voice and
precise stinging lead guitar. If you asked me to guess where the Dennis
McClung Blues Band hailed from, based only on the groups' sound, my
answer would be some Windy City tavern....that's the pulse it has its
finger on."
DMBB's recent release, "Live! Out of the Ordinary," is already causing a
stir in the blues community, both here and abroad. As a tribute to
electric Blues Greats, this CD was purposely recorded low-tech in a live
setting with only two microphones hung above the crowd. The resulting
sound is totally authentic, and it explodes the limits of the "rough
perfectness" that blues music was originally loved for. Compared to
"Prisoner of the Blues," "Live! Out of the Ordinary" manifests a
significant change in the band. The members have now developed a
chemistry as one, making their music stronger and their support to one
another tighter.