Artist Spotlight: Chance McKinney
Chance McKinney, from Bothell, Washington, is the winner of the fourth season of CMT's Music City Madness competition. Chance beat out many other talented artists and took home the top honor! This 6' 6", baritone, former high school teacher started out singing in a Motown revue for over seven years throughout Canada and up and down the West Coast before returning to his Montana roots and singing country. Since then he's been opening shows for artists such as Gary Allan, George Strait, Montgomery Gentry, Kenny Chesney, and more! With such a unique voice and style, Chance McKinney is sure to be on top of the country music scene for a while.
Be sure to visit Chance's official site at www.chancemckinney.com for more info!
We recently had the privilege to speak with Chance about his music, style, and what's he's been doing on tour. Check out our exclusive interview below.
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Country Music Treehouse: When did you first want to be a singer?
Chance McKinney: I didn't... At first, I just wanted to write music. It was the summer after I graduated college and I thought I'd teach myself guitar to help put music behind the lyrics/melodies I was writing. Then, all of a sudden, people started relating to the songs I was writing and taking to the fact that "I" was singin' 'em. After that, I cut a cd with 9 of the first 13 songs I'd ever written. At that point, I was hooked!
CMTH: Other than country, what type of music do you listen to?
CM: I got my start singin' in a 5-guy motown revue based on the West coast, so I tend to break out The Temptations, The Spinners, Stylistics and Marvin Gaye when I wanna break out. If I want to re-capture my youth growin' up in Montana then it's Huey Lewis, Def Leopard, Foreigner and Poison! I guess you could say, I'm all over the board. But, for the most part, I have my favorite country "writers" and I listen to their stuff.
CMTH: What do you like best about performing?
CM: I absolutely LOVE the interaction with an audience! From playin' honkytonks to opening for Gary Allan, Luke Bryan, Dwight Yoakam, Blake Shelton, etc. I LOVE it when you get that immediate feedback from an audience that you're doin' your job! When folks are singin' the lyrics to your songs or dancin' in the aisles or tellin' you how much your songs mean to them... THAT is what it's all about. Connecting with like-minded folks... it's a drug you can't emulate.
CMTH: How has your life changed after your Music City Madness experience?
CM: You mean besides flyin' to Nashville, recording CMT Studio 330 sessions with Steel Magnolia and Reba, getting calls to open for Blake Shelton, Dwight Yoakam, Creedence Clearwater, Lynyrd Skynyrd, .38 Special, etc.... havind your music on iTunes, traveling to WA, OR, MT, ID, UT, NV, CA for shows, meetin' with Big Machine Records execs, witnessing the birth of my first child, taking a "leave of absence" from teaching high school and living in 3 places at once (WA, UT and TN)... not much. Ha!
CMTH: Do you write all your music? If so, where do you get ideas for songs?
CM: Yes, so far... I've written all my own music. I've written a little with some amazingly accomplished songwriters in Nashville (Frank Myers, Chuck Jones, Kevin Lawson, etc), but as of yet, I've only recorded songs I've written and put 'em on Chance McKinney cds. Hopefully, I can continue to grow as a writer. Some of the stuff I'm writing now (in the 300's for total songs written) I couldn't have imagined writing when I first began. It's funny how Master Songwriters tell you to write, write and write some more. Evidently, they figured out long ago that you need to make MANY mistakes before you can effectively communicate with your audience through songs and belive me... I've made MANY mistakes, so I should be gettin' good at it... right?!
CMTH: Any funny stories from the road?
CM: Tons... unfortunately, there are tons of not-so-funny stories to help even 'em out!
I remember takin' the stage one night at a bar in the middle of nowhere only to find my bass player was leaning on his bass amp with his back to the audience (because he was unable to stand on his own). He played the entire 3rd set one-handed while using his right to hold himself up. Amazingly enough, he didn't miss a note! However, I don't think we repeated the performance for a long time... if ever.
I also remember playin' a show with Merle Haggard's former lead guitar player. He dropped his pick in the middle of his solo. As he bent over to grab it, his guitar wouldn't allow him to reach all the way to the floor so he could grab it. So, (in an Advanced Professional move) he licked his thumb and just stuck it to the pick so he could pick it up without actually having to grasp it. Just as he was about to get a grip on it, the pick dropped a 2nd time and SO DID HE. All of this happened in the middle of the show while WE on stage watched AND the CROWD witnessed it.
Oh, and one time... I was opening a show for SheDaisy when I asked the audience to get up and move so I could get 'em all in one picture. Ever see 2,500 people squish together so they could be in one photo? It was hilarious and awesome all at the same time!
CMTH: Where do you see your career in five years?
CM: A better question is "where do I see it in 5 months?" If the last 5 months are indicative of the pace things move at when you've got a little "momentum" on your side then I'd just better stick to short-range predictions.
I see me and my band (Chance McKinney n' CrossWire) picking up "legs" of tours with national artists... cuttin' another cd... and possibly charting our first song on Billboard. Is that a little too ambitious? Don't know... it's just where I see things heading. As long as I keep my head in the game and nose to the grindstone... anything is possible.
CMTH: In your opinion, what makes you different from other country music singers?
CM: First, my style of writing. It's just a quirky little look into how my brain actually works. I sometimes twist stuff around enough that folks say "I've thought that before, but I've never used it like that."
Second, my voice. It's the most "real" part of me.
Third, I actually LOVE performing. There have been times when I've hung around and signed cd's, shirts, photos, etc. until every person in attendance at the concert has been ushered from the venue.
CMTH: What's your favorite part of your job?
CM: Writing, Recording, Performing... they're all about equal for me.
CMTH: Chance, thank you for taking the time to talk to us, we wish you the best and hope to speak with you again very soon!
