Laurie McClain was born in Los Angeles, but lived most of her life in Lincoln, Nebraska before moving to Nashville, Tennessee in 1997 as a single mom with her three daughters in tow. She has been touring sporadically for the past 20 years in folk/Americana concert venues, limiting her touring so she can raise her children. In Nashville she teamed up with producer/bass player Charlie Chadwick (now her husband) to produce The Child Behind My Eyes (2002), The Trumpet Vine, a tribute to Kate Wolf (2003), Compilation(2005), and now her latest release, ASCEND (2009).
Laurie’s voice is at once fragile, childlike and intensly powerful. Her songs have infectious melodies & lyrics filled with gentle, thoughtful observations ranging from sad to hilarious, but always filled with hope for a better world.
Her early musical influences include: John Prine, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Jackson Browne, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, Nanci Griffith, Joan Baez and on & on...
REVIEWS:
"Laurie McClain has got to be from another planet. I've never met anyone - except maybe Richie Havens - who is so open-hearted and full of love for humanity, yet who appears to experience life on a different plane than everybody else. The world is a harsh place for souls like these, and music seems to be their tool for making sense of it. Laurie's music is as innocent as it is informed by experience, as playful as it is rooted, and as detail-oriented as it is grand is scope. Lucky for the rest of us, she's translated her Earthly experience onto record, and called it ASCEND." - DEVON SPROULE
______________________________________________________________________________"Laurie turns each venue into her own living room, and each listener into a new friend with her disarming humor and passionate performance. Laurie's songs explore the themes of identity, growth, friendship and love in a way that always honors the fundamental mysteries of the human journey. In this Mecca of songwriters, she is a gem of uniqueness and authenticity." -MICHAEL KEARNS, Nashville, TN
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"What good folk music should be: earthy, truthful, heartfelt . . . Laurie shows listeners her naturally sweetened voice and delightful sense of humor . . . Some songs lament the world's hassles and heartaches; others long for a kinder world where everyone is happy, healthy and free . . . idealistic without becoming preachy." - Rainbow Rowell - DAILY NEBRASKAN, Lincoln, NE
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"Her music cannot be thrown into one single category. It's predominately folk, but under the influence of alternative, country and a touch of blues. Her songs seem to sing themselves with uplifting energy and positive vibrations." - Maggie Pleskac - DIG MAGAZINE
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Reviews of The Trumpet Vine, a Tribute to Kate Wolf:
"Kate Wolf's classic California folk music is lovingly and soulfully praised and preserved in this fabulous tribute record. It's a fantastic job, and we think it will itself become a folk classic, it's that good." - Frank Goodman - PUREMUSIC.COM
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"The music of the late California writer Kate Wolf has been interpreted by many musicians. This new release from singer/songwriter Laurie McClain may just turn out to be one of the best and most enduring efforts. McClain's gentle and not-too-polished voice and thoughtful style allow her to put her own stamp on Wolf's material while showing respect and affection for the writer's words and intent. There's not a throwaway cut on the disc; each is clearly a work of love and respect." - Kerry Dexter - DIRTY LINEN MAGAZINE
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"Laurie McClain cannot be praised too highly for bringing us this CD. The songs here are sung as only a person with true feeling for the lyrics and music can. With few tracks under four minutes long, they still hold the ear, mind and heart. It's only January but I truly feel that I have found my album of 2004. Her beautiful voice brings the inspired lyrics and music to life and gives us a gift in this century." - RAMBLES MAGAZINE, IRELAND
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"A thoroughly professional recording, warm, rich... authentic, yet unique enough to be her own... Fresh instrumentation and arrangements work to make The Trumpet Vine a valid tribute to Kate's music that should be welcomed." -Vic Heyman - SING OUT! MAGAZINE
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"...whilst McClain has done justice to Wolf's songs she also clearly sings them with a genuine heartfelt connection to the lyrics, combining clarity, compassion and a tenderness in her delivery. This is one CD that is not going to move far away from my deck in the foreseeable future, and it's certainly inspired me to make the effort to discover more of Wolf's music." - FOLK & ROOTS MAGAZINE, UK
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"It's clear that Laurie McClain takes the meanings and nuances of Kate Wolf's words and melodies into her own soul, and presents them here for all of us to appreciate. She is a beautiful singer." Bonnie Holder - ROCKZILLA.NET
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"An incredible performance with Kate's songs. Kate was a dear friend of ours and did several radio programs for us over the years. Sometimes it is very jolting to hear someone do another songwriter's songs. You first reaction is to compare the performer to the songwriter... We must be honest with you, we were moved in a way that was not expected. Thank you so much for a wonderful cd." -ROZ & HOWARD LARMAN - FOLKSCENE (KPFK, LOS ANGELES)
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Laurie McClain
