Mckinley James is young and hot, but his music is old school and cool. Stacked full of the blues and soul elements made famous by his predecessors and pulling from hip hop and singer songwriter inspiration of the modern era, James is doing it his way, and he’s doing it in serious style.
At AmericanaFest, I sat down with James to talk about the making of his debut album, Working Class Blues, his evolution from employee to friend and collaborator with Dan Auerbach, what it’s like to share the stage with his dad, and the road that’s led him here.
You grew up surrounded by music. Your dad Jason Smay has played with many incredible musicians, including Wanda Jackson. What influence did that have on you growing up?
I remember as a kid one of my most fond memories was the time it hit me: “Ok, this is really what I want to do.” Bands would come to town that my dad was in, or friends of ours. I’d be getting ready for school and my mom would be making breakfast for me, and there would be four or five band guys sitting and drinking coffee at the table. I remember thinking, “Yeah, this is cool!” it wasn’t all the time but often enough for me to think “I want to be a part of whatever this is.” Always being surrounded by music was really special.
I read that watching Steve Cropper play when you were 10 years old was also a major turning point for you. What was it about him?
Well, around that time I was watching Booker T and The MGs a bunch, I was a huge fan, and I was learning to play Hammond B3. We had this DVD, Stax Live in Norway 1967, and it was Booker T and The MGs backing up a bunch of Stax artists. I really noticed Steve Cropper. Before that, I’d hear him on the records and stuff – but he looked really cool, he sounded killer, and he was playing really badass. That video for me was like, “This is exactly what I want to do” and it kind of branched off from there.
Speaking of branches, you keep your band partly in the family tree! Your dad is your drummer and collaborator. What’s it been like to have that family dynamic as such a focal point of your music?
It’s been a lot of fun and I think because we’re family and we’re so close musically there’s just a bond, it’s really hard to describe. It’s a certain bond you either get when you have a family member in your band or really close friends that are basically family. Stylistically we also really click, and there are some avenues we don’t quite meet; but it still all blends together and it just makes it really easy to play. It’s really inspiring. We’ve had a lot of great opportunities, and a lot of downs but it’s been a fun journey.
What’s been the biggest challenge of working so closely with your dad?
I don’t know if it’s ever been a challenge! We’ve never butted heads; I’ve butted heads when I used to play music with my brothers in the basement (laughs), but dad and I have never had a feud. We’re both really chill people so it’s been easy.
You recorded your debut album, Working Class Blues, last year in your family’s barn. Tell me about the whole writing and recording process of the album and why you decided to record it there?
Upstairs of the barn is a music studio, it’s all decked out, it almost looks like a cabin, my dad built it and it’s all pine and it’s total vibe and really comfortable. It’s a really good thinking space and I have it set out to record. I had a bunch of songs because, prior to being a duo, we were a three piece and I was writing songs based on hammond, guitar, and drums. The bass was played on the hammond, and when we became a duo I started to work on the record but realized, “Ok, none of these songs are going to work now.”
So I had to totally rethink and go back to basics. I watched a lot of Jimmy Reed and Eddie Taylor and Lightnin’ Hopkins, along with more singer-songwriter stuff. I really had to work a whole new dynamic for that record because there was no bass and no overdub; it was just us in that room making music and I think we really captured a cool moment on that record.
You really did! The work paid off. Your sound pulls from a range of genres. How do you balance the traditional blues sound while keeping it fresh?
As you said, it’ll always be R&B and blues stuff. But I also listen to new music, too. There’s certain new hip hop I really like, electronic music, as well as singer-songwriter stuff. So I’m pulling from what I think is hip now, and channeling what I like from the new stuff. Then I always go back to the roots where I grew up. My two brothers and my brother’s girlfriend are good for asking what they think on new ideas, and if they dig it then I know it’s cool and it’s crossing over. They’re completely honest, so sometimes it’s like “Ok, ok!” (laughs).
That’s great, though! It’s always good to have people who will be honest with you. You wrote with Dan Auerbach and some other incredible people for the record. How did those collaborations shape the album?
I used to work at Easy Eye for Dan; I started working there right after high school and we had become real close friends. I’d recorded an EP there during COVID, and it didn’t come out on Easy Eye, but Dan had produced it. Afterwards, he suggested we do some cowrites. He and I get along so well musically that there was never any compromise on what kind of songs we should do; it just kind of came out! Other songs that I had written myself for the record just fit right together, and it was a perfect pairing of songs.
What do you hope for people to get out of the album when they listen?
I hope they get the same feeling I get when I listen to music. I have music for all emotions, and every single listener, even if they’re not a fan of the style. I still aim for them to get the same joy, or whatever emotion I’ve gotten out of the songs. I hope I can pass that along.
What next for Mckinley James? Where do you want to take things?
We’re starting to put together a new record, and in between this new record there are going to be some new singles. We’re going over to Europe from October through to November, and that’s going to be a lot of fun on tour. So we’re doing the same thing, but just building the audience and pulling in some new listeners!
