OB McClinton - OB McClinton Country

In this episode, we're featuring the debut album for an often overlooked Mississippi country star, OB McClinton: "OB McClinton Country" (1971). As a black man who sang with shades of Hank Williams, he was dubious of his chances of success in the world of country music, so he turned his prodigious singing and writing talents to R&B music instead. He scored cuts from James Carr, Clarence Carter and Otis Redding before a fortuitous trip to Muscle Shoals found him signed to Enterprise Records (a subsidiary of R&B giant Stax), who were looking to go into country after Charley Pride's proven success. This debut doesn't showcase Obie's writing ability, but rather his vocals - and that Williams twang is in fine form on tracks including the romping "San Bernardino", the cautionary tale of "Bad Guys Don't Always Wear Black Hats" and the statement of fact "Country Music That's My Thing". OB didn't have a long or prosperous career but he garnered respect and admiration from his peers in country music, and we'll explore why on this week's episode.