Otis Reddux featuring McKinley Moore

"McKinley Moore! There's no better tribute to Otis Redding. A voice incredibly similar to that of Otis'. There's no better stage to ask to make it known to the European public than the Poretta Soul Festival." Press Release (Apr 29, 2010)
The Otis Reddux Soul Revue, featuring McKinley Moore, keeping the music and "The Otis Redding Song Book" alive! A must see live and up close, McKinley Moore's searing, jaw dropping live performances of that Good Ole 60s & 70s Soul Music!
Otis Redding is gone but not forgotten! We lost a too young Otis Redding and way too soon, but that "Sweet Soul Music" Lives on! in songs like: Dock of The Bay, Just Another Day,Try A Little Tenderness, to name a few. Songs iconic of the 60s Love Generation! Music too rich, too soulful to just leave unheard!
Quotes; "Well good luck Mr. Moore on your perfromance," from Jerry Butler " The Ice Man" July 23 '10
"(McKinley Moore. Non c' miglior tributo a OCs Redding .Una voce incredibilmente simile a quella di OCs. Non c' palcoscenico migliore di PorreVa per farlo conoscere al pubblico europeo.)" - Poretta Soul Festival, Poretta Soul Festival Press Release (Apr 29, 2010)

More About McKinley Moore
The history of soul singers who have cut their teeth in the African American church on gospel music is long and rich tradition. The black church is the backdrop of most practitioners of the blues, rhythm & blues and especially soul music born out of slavery in America's southern states. McKinley "Moore" Shaw Jr. has followed in that tradition, being the son of the Baptist Minister, Reverend McKinley Shaw Sr., and Mittie Arcola "Moore" Shaw, his mother, with family roots beginning in rural Tyler, Texas. The singing of gospel music was very much a part of the daily routine in the Shaw household. On Sundays Reverend Shaw would preach to the congregation and church members would fill the church with that moving gospel song and praise. A baby McKinley when taken to church was attended to by his sisters thus, in the midst of all of this spirit, songs and gospel music were embedded into his musical psyche and left an indelible mark on him.

During McKinley's formative childhood years, with his mother as his first influence, Mittie "Moore" Shaw, she would always sing around the house, worrying her " r's" coming out as "a'ra" and generally kind of twisting her words, making new pronounciations. McKinley pick up playing drums and played in a teen garage band while also being schooled by a local itinerant farm worker from the deep south on the blues harmonica in the "southern style" of playing. In the seventies McKinley made his way to San Francisco there he met another harmonica virtuoso, the late Alvis Gumm of Tennessee, who taught McKinley his unique style of mouth-harp playing and singing his deep-chested soul vocal style. McKinley by then proficient mouth- harp player sitting in with the likes of Willie Dixon, Albert Collins, Billy Branch and many other acts during their West Coast tours.

In the eighties, McKinley met and became protégé to Blues Harmonica legend Sam Myers who encouraged McKinley, "Hey Man you gotta voice huh? then you bedda use it! " that just being a harmonica player with a different and unique style was not going to cut it! Thus McKinley return to his gospel roots where his heart and soul, were musically, and already implanted in him from his childhood years.

McKinley began performing as a vocalist, in and around San Francisco's music scene and sitting in with the likes of the late Albert Collins, the great Willie Dixon, Johnny Hearthsman and Band, Billy Branch The Boss of the Harmonica, Katie Webster, and Joe Louis Walker to name a few. McKinley played the local clubs such as San Francisco's now defuct premiere blues venue The Green Front, He was a fixture at Troyce Keyes' Eli's Milehouse Club, Jack's Club (presently The Boom Boom Room) He sat in with Robert Cray and Richard Cousins at Larry Blakes Club, did college campuses and Blues festivals in and around San Francisco /Sacramento area.

McKinley Moore formed his first soul band "Blues Pulse" in 1984 which was selected to perform African American Day Festival at the California State Fair later in the eighties. Following the festival McKinley did his first overseas tour, traveling and playing in central and northern Italy in local pub scenes and open air events. McKinley was summoned again in late 1989 to perform another date at African American Day Festival at California Expo, thus regrouped, McKinley Moore and Blue Pulse Band to great acclaim.

McKinley traveled to Europe again in 1991, touring and singing a few dates in Germany, Switzerland, and extensively in Portugal. In Portugal he was backed by the country's top Blue's band there, Aquarella. The hugely successful tour lasted for a four month stint playing casinos and night clubs. Upon his return to the USA, McKinley sought out Judy Davis, the vocal coach and teacher who had worked with most of