Jim McCarty (guitarist)

James William McCarty is an American blues rock guitarist from Detroit, Michigan. He has performed with Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels, the Buddy Miles Express, Cactus, the popular Detroit rock band The Rockets, the Detroit Blues Band, and more recently, Mystery Train.

He also recorded with Jimi Hendrix and Bob Seger. He has a classic heavy blues-rock style that has inspired fledgling guitar players for more than forty years now.

Since the '60s his respective band tenures — Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, the Buddy Miles Express, Cactus, The Rockets, Mystery Train — have borne the twin marks of diligence and class. Among a certain generation of heavy-rock fans, he remains one of America's most esteemed musicians. It's telling, though, and more than a little bit vexing, that among the Motor City's contemporary garage-punk scenesters who've elevated his peers Ron Asheton and Fred "Sonic" Smith to godhood, McCarty's a prophet without honor — and he remains a performing mainstay locally.

In 2006, he participated in a Cactus reunion, performing in New York City, Sweden, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. It coincided with the release of a new Cactus album, Cactus V. In 2007, Cactus played a Detroit date, a McCarty homecoming, to a sold-out, standing room only house.In an August 2006 interview on VH1 Classic, Ted Nugent remarked "I'm the only guy in Rock'n'Roll that plays that hollow body jazz guitar and it's because in 1960 I saw Jimmy McCarty creating those big fat full chords like I do on "Stranglehold"; I learned that from Jimmy McCarty. Remember the name Jimmy McCarty. He is as important as Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry and Les Paul...a god on guitar." Guitar-maker Paul Reed Smith is amoung Jim's admirers. He has also been described by many as an "icon".

In 2005, Les Paul recorded "Les Paul and Friends: American Made, World Played". It was comprised of an All-Star band. He covered "69 Freedem Special", an instrumental tune co-written by Jim and recorded while in the Buddy Miles Express. In February 2006, Les Paul won a Grammy for his cover of the song, thus propelling Jim into another award-winning arena as songwriter.

Jim lives near his friend and bandmate John "Bee" Badanjek in a suburb of Detroit with his two black cats Lou and Dexter...

Selective Discography

Buddy Miles Express

• Expressway to Your Skull (1968)
• Electric Church (1969)

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Cactus

• Cactus (1970) [Wounded Bird Records]
• One Way... Or Another (1971) [Wounded Bird Records]
• Restrictions (1972) [Wounded Bird Records]
• Cactus V (2006) [Escapi]

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The Rockets

• Love Transfusion 1977 RCA Records

Tracks:
1) Fast Thing In "D"etroit
2) Fell Out Of Love
3) My Heart Needs You
4) Lookin' For Love
5) I Got To Move
6) Ramona
7) Fly Little Bird
8) Love Transfusion
9) She's A Pretty One

• Rockets (Turn Up the Radio) 1979 RSO Records

Tracks:
1) Can't Sleep
2) Turn Up The Radio
3) Oh Well
4) Lost Forever, Left For Dreaming
5) Long Long Gone
6) Love Me Once Again
7) Something Ain't Right
8) Lucille
9) Feel Alright

• No Ballads 1980 RSO Records

Tracks
1) Desire
2) Don't Hold On
3) Restless
4) Sally Can't Dance
5) Takin' It Back
6) Time After Time
7) Sad Songs
8) I Want You To Love Me
9) Is It True
10) Troublemaker

• Back Talk 1981 Elektra Records

Tracks:
1) Back Talk
2) Jealous
3) Lift You Up
4) Shanghaied
5) Love For Hire
6) I Can't Get Satisfied
7) Tired Of Wearing Black
8) I'll Be Your Lover
9) American Dreams
10) Lie To Me

• Rocket Roll 1982 Elektra Records

Tracks:
1) Rollin' By The Record Machine
2) Rock 'N Roll Girl
3) Gonna Crash
4) (I Wanna) Testify
5) Gimme Your Love
6) Born In Detroit
7) All Night Long
8) Kid With The Heart
9) Rollin' And Tumblin'
10) Mean Streets

• Live Rockets 1983 Capitol records

Tracks:
1) Rollin' By The Record Machine
2) Desire
3) Can't Sleep
4) Sally Can't Dance
5) Takin' It Back
6) Open The Door To Your Heart
7) Oh Well
8) Turn Up The Radio
9) Born In Detroit

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Detroit Blues Band

• Real Life (1990) [Blues Factory]

Tracks:
1) Back On my Feet Again
2) My LIfe Is Ruined
3) Luann
4) Go Downtown
5) She Knows It
6) Goin' back to Memphis
7) Scandalous Behavior
8) Walkin Out The Door
9) Treat Me Right

• Can't Get You Off My Mind (1995) [No Cover Productions]

Tracks:
1) Sister's Got a Lover
2) Tell Me
3) Every Day I Have the Blues
4) Won't You Consider
5) Missing You
6) She Winked Her Eye
7) Too Close for Comfort
8) East Side Gal
9) Tears from My Eyes
10) Can't Get You off My Mind

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Mystery Train

• Love Lost (2001)

Tracks:
1) I Need You
2) Your Loss Now
3) I'm all alone
4) Where were you baby?
5) Allman Joy
6) Hold it right there
7) Love is a Rough Business
8) Come back to me
9) I'll never turn my back on you
10) Cold wind

• Lexus - Live at the Detroit International Auto Show (2002)

Tracks:
1) Rock with Me
2) Honey Hush
3) Need your love so Bad
4) T-Bone shuffle
5) As the years go passing by
6) Help Me
7) Standing on shaky ground
8) Oh Well

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