Pat McLaughlin is a maverick. The revered, if a bit enigmatic, singer, songwriter and guitarist has spent years honing his layered style. Dedicated only to the pursuit of a new groove or an old feeling, his songs rehash the sights and sounds of a reformed nomad with roots in Iowa, footprints in San Francisco, New Orleans and Chicago, and a home in Nashville.
Raised in Waterloo, Iowa, McLaughlin landed in San Francisco, California, in the early 1970s. He had given college in Arizona a try but found the lure of music unshakable. In California, Pat began to write songs, playing alone at open mic nights and in the streets near the bay.
After a brief stint in Boston, the late 1970s took McLaughlin to Nashville. The city's rich pockets of ace musicians and elite songwriters soon ensnared Pat, who formed a band and began gigging around town. Carpentry paid his early bills, and McLaughlin released his first album in 1980. Two consecutive projects for Los Angeles' Capitol Records followed. Produced by Mitchell Froom (Elvis Costello, Daniel Powter), Pat released his eponymous major label debut in 1988. 1989's Get Out and Stay Out, also produced by Froom, featured a supporting cast of virtuosos including keyboardist Ian McLagan, and another dose of McLaughlin-penned gems. His sound, deliciously organic and rooted in soul, aged well and demanded room to breathe.
In the late 1980s, McLaughlin experienced his first slice of mainstream country music success: Steve Wariner recorded Pat's "Lynda." Wariner's version climbed to the top of the charts, winning Pat his first BMI Country Award in 1988.
Drawn to New Orleans drummer Carlo Nuccio's style, McLaughlin retreated to Louisiana in 1990. He remained based in Nashville but played constantly with a band featuring Nuccio in New Orleans. The city's salt and sweat seeped into McLaughlin's sound, and for 6 years, he explored, played and immersed himself in the town's bold music community.
In 1992, Tanya Tucker and Delbert McClinton had a hit with McLaughlin's "Tell Me About It" - another BMI award coupled with a mainstream asterisk for the reluctant Nashville songwriter.
During the New Orleans years, Pat also released records produced by friends Jim Rooney (Hal Ketchum) and Ben Keith (Neil Young). In 1997, along with former Subdudes Tommy Malone and Johnny Ray Allen, plus drummer Kenneth Blevins, McLaughlin formed Tiny Town. The quartet recorded one self-titled album, produced by Bernie Leadon (The Eagles), in 1998.
2000's Uncle Pat showcased more of the adept guitarist's blithe compositions. Next Five Miles followed suit, setting critic tongues wagging. Co-produced by McLaughlin and guitar wunderkind Kenny Greenberg, Next Five Miles drew rave reviews from hipsters across the country, including the Chicago Sun-Times, who listed the album among its top roots projects of the year.
McLaughlin's compositions have been recorded by a jaw-dropping array of artists including Bonnie Raitt, Alan Jackson, Taj Mahal, Trisha Yearwood, Al Kooper, Nanci Griffith, Josh Turner, Shawn Camp and Don Williams. Gary Allan recorded Pat's "Songs About Rain," securing yet another BMI Country Award for McLaughlin. An in-demand studio musician, Pat's guitar "chunking" finessed projects by Jamie Hartford, Rosanne Cash, Julie Roberts, Don Williams, Al Cooper, Shawn Camp, Cowboy Jack Clement, Neil Diamond and many more.
As further testament to McLaughlin's skill, engineer David Ferguson called on Pat to play acoustic guitar for the final Johnny Cash recording sessions. A frequent collaborator of John Prine, Pat McLaughlin frequently finds himself working alongside legends. Rolling Stone called McLaughlin "a tasty, rootsy gem," while he prompted the Tennessean's Peter Cooper to spout poetry: "Groove and soul, slink and stutter, groove and soul, wisdom and pain, groove and soul."
In 2006, McLaughlin released Horsefly, again featuring the co-production credits of McLaughlin and Kenny Greenberg. Loose but focused, the tracks ebb and flow seamlessly, offering wry observations on life's satisfactions and misfires. "No one since Dan Penn has better mixed '60s soul idioms with country music sentiment," proclaimed the Chicago Sun-Times. "Pat McLaughlin is an American treasure."
