you can buy/download my new album 'Smiling From The Floor Up' from all the usual online stores (Amazon, Itunes etc...) but for that loving feeling please go to www.clubhouserecords.co.uk. You'll get a badge and a sticker too!

The Facts...

Paul McClure is a singer and songwriter from Rutland, England where he lives with his wife and daughters. The passing world is the fodder for Paul’s characters and story lines in particular the loves, laughs and losses that have come his way.

Influences...

“I suppose it all began in the back seat with The Beatles. Then it was Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Johnny Cash. My mum was a big Roy Orbison fan and I think John Denver The Everly Brother came via her too. By the time I made it into the front seat I was soaking up everything I could lay my ears on - I was into Bob Dylan, The Band and Leonard Cohen with a passion by then and the folk revival scene which pretty much ruined my teenage years at school as it isn't easy being the only 13 year old in your class with a Joan Baez tape in your bag.

Elliott Smith, Ron Sexsmith and Rufus Wainwright all had a instant impact on me and now it's the Felice Brothers, Ryan Adams, Justin Townes Earl and the many musicians I’ve met and played with in the last 5 years or so, people like Otis Gibbs, Trevor Moss & Hannah Lou, Case Hardin and Danny And The Champions Of The World - to narrow down just a few...”

History...

Prior to this new release, McClure has recorded 2 solo albums of original songs – ‘No Place Like Home’ in 2003 “..is fresh, vibrant and bounds with enthusiasm for his craft.. 4**** “ - Fatea

and ‘Desire Lines’ in 2008. (The completion of this overlapped with the birth of The Hi And Lo leaving it by and large obsolete.)

McClure spent the best part of the last four and a half years playing with The Hi And Lo. – “Superior roots music from Leicester.” – Americana UK “

The Hi And Lo put out an album in 2010 called ‘Ten Tracks’

“We recorded it in a day in one take with minimal overdubs; we wanted the live feel we created on stage to come through on the recordings, then set out playing everywhere that would have us, which became almost everywhere, from the London Americana club nights to The Sage, Gateshead and a lot of miles in between sharing stages with many of the leading lights of the UK and US Americana scene - Justin Townes Earl, Pete Molinari, Danny And The Champions Of The World and Peter Bruntnell. It all slowed down early last year and by Christmas it was time to move on. I already had a notebook full of songs that I'd been working on for a couple of years; some we'd been fumbling through with the band and others I'd kept as not suitable at the time and I've added a few new ones since to form the basis of a solo album...”

The Clubhouse...

McClure’s time with Clubhouse Records began with a track of his being used on their debut release - ‘Divided By A Common Language’ in 2010 and last year he was involved in ‘Nebraska Sessions – A Tribute’ to mark the 30 year anniversary of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska’ - “Paul McClure used an accordion for the first time on 'My Fathers House' and produced one of the most original takes of anyone” John Hawes.

What now...

McClure has spent most of 2014 so far on the road touring the UK with songs from his new album 'Smiling From The Floor Up' (Clubhouse Records)as well as numerous radio appearences (including Mark Radcliffe's Radio 2 show and the mighty Rutland Radio). 'The Rutland Troubadour Tour' (as it became known...) included not only venues but also a large number of house concerts hosted by fans in an attempt to both connect with his audience in a close and intimate setting and also to bring the sound of live music back into the home.
So, we’re back to playing solo again for the first time in 9 or 10 years, most of the time I feel like next time it won’t be so hard, like I'm struggling to follow the map even though I know where I'm going. I’m relishing the isolation I feel playing on stage on my own, i'll carry on with that for a while, or at least until musical differences come between me...”