Guest Book

Our local blues legend, Jerry "Boogie" McCain, passed away today. He was 81. I guess his most famous song was "She's Tough," recorded by the Fabulous Thunderbirds, among many others. Some of Jerry's stuff was in the Sirius blues channel rotation. He was a quirky little guy, but I don't think he had a peer as a harmonica player. A story...After I got a high draft number, I left college in 1970, quit spending my daddy's money, went to work in the family sewing machine business. Couple of years later, Mr. McCain comes in. Just some guy. Buys our best model for his wife. Part of my job was delivery, demonstration, and paperwork, which took about 90 minutes. Jerry lived in a not-so-nice part of town, I brought over the machine about 4 on a cold February day. It was dark when I was done. I still had no clue that Mr. McCain was in music. When I was finished, he said, "Come with me." Led me through a "pop-top" curtain into the back of the house. Paisley leather padded bar, black lights. No back door. I was trying to decide where they wanted one. Mr. McCain turned on a reel-to-reel tape player playing his music, we became friends from that point. Every year, just after Thanksgiving, he could be found on a ladder at the same house, putting up Christmas lights all over the place. Honoring his Lord. One year, on Christmas Eve, a couple of Atlanta musicians--Max Moseley (whom he had trained) and Butch Trivette, came over in the wee hours. Sat on Jerry's lawn playing We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Max on harp, Butch on squeezebox, till Jerry got up and let them in. Jerry's with the Lord he honored. May he rest in peace.