Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
“The McKinneys are delightful, utilizing humor and sound musicianship to completely entertain their fans.
...hilarious musical parodies and renditions. I don't know when I've had such a good time!
...adventures in musical humor will leave you...immensely entertained.
...awesome show.
...The McKinneys had everyone rolling in the aisles with their songs and antics!”
--Maggie Ferguson, performer
and Co-host of “Live from the Living Room” Acoustic Showcase, Pontiac, MI
and Host of “The Old Front Porch” Radio Show, WXOU 88.3 - The Old Front Porch Radio Show newsletter
We got a copy of the latest CD created by Whitt & Judy McKinney...a collection of rewritten and updated folk songs, some original pieces, some gospel, and some just plain fun tunes..."Warts & All."
They took Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" and updated it with..."from Love Canal to Three-Mile Island" and commented on the lack of environmental sense today...They had some fun with Tommy Smothers's signature song about "My Old Man" being Sec'y. of the Interior who supports big business interests.
A tongue-in-cheek theme song for our area might be their "Northeast Upper Lower Michigan" tune about huntin' & fishin' & leaving your money when you hi-tail back downstate. It's not exactly chamber of commerce approved, but close.
"The Garden Song" is a fun exchange between Judy, who sees the beauty & enjoyment of gardening, and Whitt, who sees the bugs, bachaches, and munching rabbits. Another fun one is "Ghost Chickens" coming back to haunt the chicken farmer who raised & killed them by the millions. And there's one about maple syrup production that would have our local syrupers smiling.
The McKinneys do some gospel songs...There's a fun Star Trek style gospel tune called "Beam Me Up, Lord" that is very unique...And it's quite a shock to move from gospel to one describing the hippie drug culture...And one about TV talk shows is outrageous, too, not to mention the "Seduce Me" song.
The McKinneys had a family band CD out a few years ago, but their kids have grown & moved away, & the empty nesters are creating more music...It's a piece of area culture that is fun to listen to.
--Tom Young
- Montmorency Co. Tribune
Discography
There are 3 CDs so far, ("Warts and All", "Two Much" & "Good Clean Fun"), each consisting of the best of two live shows, and a 4th compilation ("1X1X1") of all the gospel off the first 3. There is also a DVD of one show performed at a showcase in Pontiac, MI. ("Alive at The Living Room.")
Several radio stations and podcasters are playing a number of cuts off all the CDs.
Photos
Bio
Though music well done is the vehicle, the focus of MWT is positive, uplifting humor. They call their technique "storysinging & songtelling."
Whitt learned his comedy chops from old pros Bud & Travis, The Limeliters, & Smothers Bros. when he was a light & sound guy during the Great Folk Scare of the 60s. He produced and wrote for the hottest folk/comedy duo Atlanta, GA ever saw, Pat & Barbara, in the late 60s, became a performer himself in '83, performing from the Southwest to the Washington, DC area, where he was a featured favorite at showcases for The World Folk Music Assn., & entertained at a gathering of 2500 troops awaiting transport to the first Gulf War.
He & Judy (whose background is theatre & a love of musical comedy) homeschooled their two daughters, forming a family washtub band in the late 90s, and, when the girls escaped, became a duo in '01. They've been performing together as a duo for about 7 years and for the last 2 years, they have followed the geese back and forth from Michigan to Florida, becoming musical snowbirds.
While they have been wonderfully received at the few folk festivals they have had the opportunity to play, they are particular favorites at community festivals, park concert series, and at many of the Mobile Home Estates that dot Florida, as well as RV parks and rallies. Boomers & seniors relate instantly to their comedy, and have the attention span and cultural awareness to get what's going on. Since many of these folks also migrated from the North, they enjoy MWT's take on Canadians and the Great Lake region.
Having both grown up in the Southwest, there's also a slice of cowboy ballads & funny takeoffs, and an occasional Mexican folksong from Whitt, who speaks (and sings!) Spanish.
Wherever they go, audiences repeatedly comment that they "haven't had that much fun in years!" and that they can't believe the music Judy gets out of the washtub. They laugh, sing along, yell out their responses, and, when it's all said and sung, can't believe an hour went by so quickly!
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