Mike McClure got his start in the 90s playing in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he was a founding member of legendary Red Dirt band, The Great Divide. The band signed with Atlantic, and Garth Brooks recorded one of McClure’s songs.
After a decade with The Great Divide, McClure went out on his own and released ten albums, many with famed producer and engineer Joe Hardy (Steve Earl, ZZ Top). He has produced albums for the Turnpike Troubadours, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Katie Butts, Jason Boland & the Stragglers, and many others.
If you look closely at the last several years of McClure’s life, you will see there has been a life-altering awakening for the singer, songwriter, artist, and producer. Marked by reckoning, renewal and growth – some by choice, some by fate – the result is Looking Up. The highly acclaimed album released in September 2020, finds McClure getting sober, wrestling with insecurity, and finding new love for both himself and others, as he discovers the best way to live is to live in truth and to be present, no matter what.
Apart from his solo acoustic work, he can also be found performing as Crow and Gazelle (with Chrislyn Lawrence) and The Great Divide, who will release a new album in 2022. McClure was recently inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
“Introspection is found across Looking Up. For a recently sober guy trying to navigate his way through a landmine-filled 2020, McClure has successfully boiled life down to what he needs and poured the distractions away.” – AMERICANA HIGHWAYS
“Newfound optimism is reflected throughout the record, beginning with “I Am Not Broken,” an anthem that finds McClure singing the title with the utmost confidence as he refuses to let his past define him…Whatever might be left of McClure’s time, one thing is certain: As long as Orion — and whatever else — continues to guide him, he will remain a pioneer in the landscape of Red Dirt and alternative country for decades to come.” – NO DEPRESSION