Edwin McCain

Born on January 20, 1970, in Charleston, South Carolina, Edwin McCain emerged as a rootsy singer and songwriter whose sound also absorbed jazz and soul influences. His physician father took part in the music activities at the local Episcopal church, giving young Edwin his first platform when he joined the choir. As a teenager he gravitated toward vintage soul and R&B by Wilson Pickett, Marvin Gaye, and Earth, Wind & Fire, while classic-rock favorites such as Van Halen, Kiss, and Queen also shaped his tastes. A friendship with a musician opened his ears to jazz-fusion recordings by Weather Report and Jaco Pastorius, prompting a serious focus on songwriting and the start of his solo performances.

During frequent club dates across the South he cultivated a devoted following and crossed paths with fellow up-and-coming South Carolina act Hootie & the Blowfish. Matching their intense work ethic, he issued two independent albums—Nomadic Logic in 1991 and Solitude in 1993—while routinely logging as many as 300 shows a year. His dynamic band, anchored by lead guitarist Larry Chaney, earned critical respect and secured support slots with like-minded artists including Hootie, Jewel, and the Allman Brothers. After Hootie secured a contract with Atlantic Records and achieved blockbuster success with the 1994 major-label debut Cracked Rear View, the group convinced Atlantic’s Lava subsidiary to sign McCain.

He made his major-label debut, Honor Among Thieves, after joining Lava in 1995. VH1’s airplay of the single “Solitude” paved the way for the 1997 album Misguided Roses, which delivered the mainstream hit “I’ll Be.” Messenger arrived in 1999 and yielded another love-themed Top 40 entry, “I Could Not Ask for More,” followed two years later by Far from Over. After leaving Lava/Atlantic, McCain increased his recording pace in the early 2000s, releasing The Austin Sessions in 2003 and Scream & Whisper in 2004. Maintaining his relentless touring schedule, he issued the live video set Tinsel and Tap Shoes: Live at the House of Blues in late 2004. His next studio album, Lost in America, appeared in April 2006 on Vanguard, and he continued nationwide dates through spring and summer.

Nobody’s Fault But Mine, released in 2008, presented a collection of R&B covers fronted by the single “Some Kind of Wonderful.” His tenth studio album, Mercy Bound in 2011, centered on original material written and performed with fellow singer/songwriter Maia Sharp. He sustained his popularity as a live performer, captured on the 2013 album Extended Versions, while his songs received covers from teen sensation Justin Bieber to American Idol winner Nick Fradiani. In 2015 he reached a fresh audience as host of the reality series Flipping Ships, in which boats were repaired, refurbished, and given to deserving new owners. A three-song EP, Oh Edwin, Where Art Thou?, followed in 2016.