
Blues Powerhouse Larry McCray Returns with New Album “Heartbreak City”
Celebrated blues singer and guitarist Larry McCray is set to release his powerful new album Heartbreak City on Friday 13th June 2025, via KTBA Records, the label founded by Joe Bonamassa.
To mark the announcement, McCray has dropped the album’s lead single, “Bye Bye Blues,” a soulful, finger-snapping throwback co-written with longtime collaborator Charlie Walmsley that channels the sounds of Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Bland, and Little Milton with a fresh, funky edge.
Watch the official “Bye Bye Blues” music video in this article.
Produced by Grammy nominated duo Bonamassa and Josh Smith, Heartbreak City is a bold, unfiltered collection that finds McCray at the height of his powers—fusing raw blues with vintage soul, Southern grit, and a hard-won sense of joy. The ten-track album features standout contributions from Reese Wynans, Kirk Fletcher, and background vocalists Jade Macrae and Dannielle De Andrea, as well as guest guitar work from Bonamassa himself. The record was recorded at the iconic Sunset Sound in Hollywood and mixed by Alan Hertz.
On the title track, McCray taps into the spirit of the club stages that shaped his early career, with gritty vocals and a smoldering guitar solo that reflect his decades of road-tested experience. “I feel like this album captures all the different sides of who I am,” says McCray. “It’s soul, it’s blues, it’s truth. It’s everything I’ve lived.”
Across the album, McCray leans into themes of reflection, resilience, and redemption, drawing from decades of lived experience on and off the stage. His voice—gravelly, weathered, and full of soul—carries the weight of hard-earned wisdom, while his guitar work remains as fiery and fluid as ever. With dynamic arrangements, gospel-tinged harmonies, and a band that matches him punch for punch, Heartbreak City doesn’t just revisit the blues—it reclaims it, reframing it through the lens of someone who’s survived it, played it, and lived it for more than four decades.
The release follows 2022’s Blues Without You, which marked McCray’s long-awaited return after a seven-year hiatus. The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Blues chart and was named the #1 Blues Album of 2022 by Blues Rock Review, solidifying his status as a torchbearer of modern blues. In 2024, McCray was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame, a testament to his deep roots in the state and his enduring impact on American music. Now, Heartbreak City builds on that momentum. It’s a record that reflects Larry McCray at his most self-assured and grounded in tradition, but more fearless than ever.
A native of Smackover, Arkansas, McCray grew up immersed in gospel, soul, and the blues stylings of B.B., Albert, and Freddie King. After relocating to Saginaw, Michigan, at age 12, he developed a style that merged deep blues with the fire of Hendrix and the Southern grooves of the Allman Brothers. He was signed in the late ’80s as the first artist on Virgin Records’ Point Blank imprint and released a string of widely praised albums including Ambition (1990), Delta Hurricane (1993), and Born to Play the Blues (1998). Over the course of his career, McCray has shared stages with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Albert King, Joe Walsh, the Allman Brothers, Jonny Lang, and of course, his modern-day champion and label head Joe Bonamassa.
“Larry McCray is a legend,” shares Bonamassa. “We have known that for 30 years. He is the last of the great blues shouters from the Rust Belt. In the spirit of BB King, Luther Allison, and Little Milton, Larry is among the greats. It’s now up to the world to rediscover him. He has been here all along.”
1. Try To Be A Good Man
2. Heartbreak City
3. Bye Bye Blues
4. Bright Side
5. Everything Falls On Me
6. I Know What I’ve Done (feat. Joe Bonamassa)
7. Keep On Loving My Baby (feat. Kirk Fletcher & Josh Smith)
8. Hangman
9. Stop Your Crying
10. Crazy World
Feature Image Photo Credit: Curtis Knapp
Listen to the new single ‘Bye Bye Blues’ here: https://ffm.to/y5eombj
Larry McCray’s new album ‘Heartbreak City’ is released on Friday 13th June 2025, via KTBA Records, the label founded by Joe Bonamassa.
Pre-order the album here: https://shop.ktbarecords.com/collections/larry-mccray
For more information and live dates visit his official website here: https://larrymccrayofficial.com


Solomon Hicks To Release His New Album ‘How Did I Ever Get This Blue?’
New York blues hotshot Solomon Hicks has announced details of his new album How Did I Ever Get This Blue?, which will be released on Friday 23rd January 2026 via Artone/Provogue.

Philip Sayce Announces May/June 2026 UK Tour and Live Version of Anthemic Track “Peace Machine”
Following his electrifying and critically acclaimed November 2024 UK tour, guitar marvel and powerhouse vocalist Philip Sayce returns in May/June 2026 for a nationwide UK tour fueled with a brand-new live release and a forthcoming studio album that promises to raise the bar yet again.

Elles Bailey Announces New Album
After the release of her highest charting album to date last year Elles Bailey is back with brand new album ‘Can’t Take My Story Away’, which comes 16th January 2026 on Cooking Vinyl and Outlaw Music.

Then Jerico Acoustic To Perform September 2025 Headline London Show
On Saturday 20th September 2025, due to huge demand Then Jerico Acoustic return to the intimate PizzaExpress Live, Holborn, London for another of their legendary high-energy, stunningly entertaining, atmospheric shows that never fail to enthral the crowd.

Joe Bonamassa Announces B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100 – Celebrating The King of the Blues
Today – on what would have been B.B. King’s 100th birthday – Joe Bonamassa has announced the upcoming release of B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100, produced by Grammy-nominated duo Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith, an extraordinary collaborative tribute album celebrating the legacy of one of music’s most iconic figures.