Biography
Gene McDaniels emerged in the early 1960s as a versatile performer whose polished pop and R&B vocals captured the moment when that style began shifting toward soul. His powerful, crystalline delivery powered sophisticated yet emotionally charged singles such as “A Hundred Pounds of Clay,” “Tower of Strength,” and “Chip Chip.” Beyond performing, he built a separate reputation as a composer and studio overseer, penning the chart-topping “Feel Like Makin’ Love” for Roberta Flack and the incisive, frequently interpreted “Compared to What,” while also guiding recording sessions for Nancy Wilson, Melba Moore, Jimmy Smith, and Lenny Williams. A concise overview of his Liberty years appears on the anthology A Hundred Pounds of Clay: The Best of Gene McDaniels, whereas his later, socially conscious output from the 1970s is captured on the 1971 underground favorite Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse.
Born Eugene Booker McDaniels in Kansas City, Kansas in 1935 and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, he grew up as the child of a minister. Early exposure to gospel music and biblical texts shaped his outlook, with the Soul Stirrers and the Swan Silvertones serving as primary inspirations. During the rise of bebop he also embraced jazz, becoming a devoted listener to Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. Although singing remained his central pursuit—supported by a four-octave range—he additionally mastered saxophone and trumpet.
At age eleven he formed the Echoes of Joy, later renamed the Sultans, a group devoted at first to gospel repertoire; popular numbers gradually entered their sets as well. After placing prominently in a local vocal contest, McDaniels began treating music as a vocation rather than a pastime. He abandoned conventional schooling to enroll at the Omaha Conservatory of Music, then launched his professional career with the Mississippi Piney Woods Singers. Their travels carried him to the West Coast, where he started performing jazz as a solo act in off hours. Regular appearances alongside his idol Les McCann at the short-lived club The Lamp attracted enough attention to secure an audition with Liberty Records.
Signed by Sy Waronker, McDaniels was initially assigned to producer Felix Slatkin; the resulting singles and album sold modestly. His fortunes changed when Snuff Garrett assumed production duties. Though Slatkin excelled as a musician, violinist, and arranger, Garrett possessed an unmatched instinct for material and sound, and he selected the song that became McDaniels’ breakthrough hit, “A Hundred Pounds of Clay.” The singer himself disliked its straightforward lyric, yet the single climbed to number three in spring 1961 and earned gold certification. Follow-up “A Tear” achieved only modest chart success, but the subsequent release “Tower of Strength,” co-written by Burt Bacharach, reached number five and also received a gold record.
Steady chart presence continued for the next three years, and McDaniels appeared in the 1962 jukebox film It’s Trad, Dad, directed by Richard Lester, performing “Another Tear Falls.” Over time, however, his urbane soul approach lost ground to the rawer, less commercial sounds of Otis Redding and Sam & Dave. He exited Liberty in 1965, moving briefly through Columbia and several smaller imprints. After the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., McDaniels left the United States for Denmark and Sweden, where he concentrated on songwriting for three years. The resulting material reflected greater lyrical depth than his earlier Liberty work, most notably the pointed political commentary of “Compared to What,” a hit for Les McCann & Eddie Harris, and the sensual soul ballad “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” which Roberta Flack, one of his preferred vocalists, took into the upper reaches of the charts.
Upon returning to the United States in 1970, he joined Atlantic Records and recorded under the name Eugene McDaniels. His debut Atlantic album, Outlaw, arrived that year and fused funk, jazz, and rock with his commanding voice in a politically charged statement. The 1971 follow-up Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse proved even more forceful; a copy reportedly reached the White House, prompting Richard Nixon’s displeasure and Spiro Agnew’s unsuccessful attempt to have Atlantic withdraw the record. Also in 1971, McDaniels participated in the MGM project Universal Jones, releasing the album Vol. One. After that he largely stepped back from recording yet remained active as a songwriter and producer for Gladys Knight & the Pips, the Floaters, Nancy Wilson, Jimmy Smith, and actor Richard Roundtree. His final album under his own name, Screams & Whispers, appeared on the Genepool label in 2004. Gene McDaniels died in his sleep at his home in Maine on July 29, 2011.
Born Eugene Booker McDaniels in Kansas City, Kansas in 1935 and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, he grew up as the child of a minister. Early exposure to gospel music and biblical texts shaped his outlook, with the Soul Stirrers and the Swan Silvertones serving as primary inspirations. During the rise of bebop he also embraced jazz, becoming a devoted listener to Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. Although singing remained his central pursuit—supported by a four-octave range—he additionally mastered saxophone and trumpet.
At age eleven he formed the Echoes of Joy, later renamed the Sultans, a group devoted at first to gospel repertoire; popular numbers gradually entered their sets as well. After placing prominently in a local vocal contest, McDaniels began treating music as a vocation rather than a pastime. He abandoned conventional schooling to enroll at the Omaha Conservatory of Music, then launched his professional career with the Mississippi Piney Woods Singers. Their travels carried him to the West Coast, where he started performing jazz as a solo act in off hours. Regular appearances alongside his idol Les McCann at the short-lived club The Lamp attracted enough attention to secure an audition with Liberty Records.
Signed by Sy Waronker, McDaniels was initially assigned to producer Felix Slatkin; the resulting singles and album sold modestly. His fortunes changed when Snuff Garrett assumed production duties. Though Slatkin excelled as a musician, violinist, and arranger, Garrett possessed an unmatched instinct for material and sound, and he selected the song that became McDaniels’ breakthrough hit, “A Hundred Pounds of Clay.” The singer himself disliked its straightforward lyric, yet the single climbed to number three in spring 1961 and earned gold certification. Follow-up “A Tear” achieved only modest chart success, but the subsequent release “Tower of Strength,” co-written by Burt Bacharach, reached number five and also received a gold record.
Steady chart presence continued for the next three years, and McDaniels appeared in the 1962 jukebox film It’s Trad, Dad, directed by Richard Lester, performing “Another Tear Falls.” Over time, however, his urbane soul approach lost ground to the rawer, less commercial sounds of Otis Redding and Sam & Dave. He exited Liberty in 1965, moving briefly through Columbia and several smaller imprints. After the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., McDaniels left the United States for Denmark and Sweden, where he concentrated on songwriting for three years. The resulting material reflected greater lyrical depth than his earlier Liberty work, most notably the pointed political commentary of “Compared to What,” a hit for Les McCann & Eddie Harris, and the sensual soul ballad “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” which Roberta Flack, one of his preferred vocalists, took into the upper reaches of the charts.
Upon returning to the United States in 1970, he joined Atlantic Records and recorded under the name Eugene McDaniels. His debut Atlantic album, Outlaw, arrived that year and fused funk, jazz, and rock with his commanding voice in a politically charged statement. The 1971 follow-up Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse proved even more forceful; a copy reportedly reached the White House, prompting Richard Nixon’s displeasure and Spiro Agnew’s unsuccessful attempt to have Atlantic withdraw the record. Also in 1971, McDaniels participated in the MGM project Universal Jones, releasing the album Vol. One. After that he largely stepped back from recording yet remained active as a songwriter and producer for Gladys Knight & the Pips, the Floaters, Nancy Wilson, Jimmy Smith, and actor Richard Roundtree. His final album under his own name, Screams & Whispers, appeared on the Genepool label in 2004. Gene McDaniels died in his sleep at his home in Maine on July 29, 2011.
Albums
