Beggars, Fools and Thieves McKinley Black

• 1 High Noon 03:46
• 2 All I Need 04:46
• 3 Beggars, Fools and Thieves 03:10
• 4 Hold On 03:44
• 5 Mother 03:28
• 6 Love Like Mine 02:44
• 7 Bailinho da Maria 04:19
• 8 Hunger 05:05
• 9 Free 03:48
• 10 Westwinds 03:25
• 11 This Train 04:47
• Total Runtime 43:02

Info for Beggars, Fools and Thieves

"We got the straight tip from guitarist Ian Melrose, then we attended one of her concerts, and we were overwhelmed by her musicality and her inspiring nature not only on stage"

Consequently Stockfish recorded McKinley's album "Beggars, Fools and Thieves". The American singer/songwriter, who many years ago moved to Berlin and still lives there, got accompaniment during the studio sessions by renowned musicians like Ian Melrose, Katharina Franck (Rainbirds), drummer Ralf Gustke (Sohne Mannheims, Xavier Naidoo), and others.

USA-Berlin – no connection like any other – McKinley Black’s US-connection is special; one supported by that delicately balanced myriad of factors required for the artistically sublime.

Factors that don’t just fall from the blue sky, but in coming together, allow artist to airdrop supplies to those awaiting authenticity and personality to be found in music.

With "Beggars, Fools and Thieves" the American singer who for years has been living in Berlin has produced her first album for Stockfisch.

You can feel it from the moment this little woman with that enormous voice enters the stage that her art is deeply rooted in genuinely American musical genres. Is that air of vitality due to her Portuguese ancestry?

The diversity of things she has done and places she has lived in has certainly influenced her biography as an artist. Highly energetic guitar playing, worldly wise lyrics, a sensuousness just under control – the sky over Berlin.

"Beggars, Fools and Thieves": A title reminiscent of a medieval tale is one artist’s Luftbrücke – an airlift to the urban gospel of megalopolis: This train is bound for glory!

McKinley Black, vocals, guitar, mandolin
Ian Melrose, guitar, dobro, electric guitars, whistle, arrangements
Ian Parker, Hammond B 3
Jan Hermerschmidt, clarinet
Klaus Graf, clarinet
Simon Pauli, electric bass
Ralf Gustke, drums, percussion
Ingolf Kurkowski, cajon, percussion
Wojtek Bolimowski, violin
Zsuzsanna Bolimowski, violin
Oksana Labach, viola
Lucile Chaubard, violincello
Pam Wischowsky, background vocals
Mitch Steinberg, background vocals
Lea Morris, background vocals
Katharina Franck, background vocals
Julia Correira, background vocals

McKinley Black
The seventh child of seven children. First American generation Portuguese on her mother's side and French Canadian on her father's side. Mckinley started writing young as a result of her parent's divorce.

She grew up in Southeastern Massachusetts. A ping/pong child that was born in the cranberry bogs of Middleborough, investigated many abandoned buildings in her adolescence in New Bedford and spent a few years getting lost on purpose in the woods behind her house in Plympton in her early teens.

Mckinley Studied voice at Capachione School of Performing Arts in Brockton and was subsequently accepted to Berklee College of Music in Boston for Song Composition and Voice.

In the mid to late 80's after work as the Chief Medical Secretary for the Chief of Medicine (Dr. Andrew Huvos) in Faulkner Hospital, Mckinley would grab her guitar and head out to Harvard Square where she would perform alongside incredible talent such as Adrienne, Ellis Paul, Martin Sexton and Tracy Chapman.

In the early nineties, Mckinley lived out of her Volkswagen bus traveling the US and the world. She has performed as far north as Iceland, as far south as Ecuador, all the way to Japan and all over Europe.

At the time of her mother's death in 1997, Mckinley received a call from a friend whom she met while studying in Berklee urging Mckinley to trust her talent and move to Switzerland.

It was then that her European adventure began. Mckinley moved to Basel, Switzerland and shortly thereafter toured through Europe where she received other opportunities to live in Amsterdam and Berlin. She chose the latter and has been living in Berlin, Germany ever since.

Mckinley has performed on all major stages in Berlin including the Siegessaule, Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburger Tor and frequently tours throughout the world with her music.

A very popular songwriter in Berlin, Mckinley has shared her audience and stages with her colleagues in an event she initiated in 2005 called Troubadour - Modern Minstrels. She worked diligently to help create a strong songwriting community in Berlin through this project until the funding fell out in 2015. During this ten year dedication, Mckinley created a network of over 500 musicians from all over the world and won respect within the cultural political arena in Berlin.

Working with many of Germany's "Ostrock" Bands, Mckinley has also written songs for a popular german TV Series "Danny Lowinski", is a member of Berlin's Cult Irish Band - The InCiders and most importantly, was added to the Elite Artist Roster of Germany's exclusive Songwriter Label - Stockfisch Records.

Booklet for Beggars, Fools and Thieves