Malcolm has been writing and performing since 1964, and his songs "Don't Cry Blue," "Sometimes in the Morning," and more have been recorded and/or sung by Jonathan Edwards, Tom Rush, and others, most recently Christine Lavin on her 2009 CD "Cold Pizza for Breakfast". He was a member of the band "Sugar Creek" with Jonathan Edwards and Joe Dolce of "Shaddap You Face" fame.
He performed solo and with his brother Todd in the New England area during the 1970s and worked in Nashville with a small publishing company in the early 1980s.
He has been living and working in Southeast Florida since 1987.
Malcolm McKinney bio
Malcolm McKinney
Songs of Florida, Songs of Life, and other odds and ends
Malcolm McKinney writes and sings as if he is sitting next to you. His warm and personal style relates life's experiences and lessons: the humor, joy, struggle and sorrow that are common to all. He easily covers a wide range of forms, from folk, and folk rock, to blues, and country.
Comments:
"Thanks for playing Songwriter Showcase at Havana Cabana. You are a TERRIFIC talent and I really enjoyed listening to your wonderful songs in person. Hope to see you again soon down the road." - Rob Gorley
"Hey Malcolm, I'll be playing your song "Snake Oil" today on the show. It's going to be in response to these right wing talk radio shows." - Atticus Black, WELE Radio
"We love your song "Sometimes in the morning". We have just started rehearsing it ---. What a great song! It's one of those tunes you never wanna stop playing cause it feels so good - Beautiful!" - Millpond Moon Rune and Kjersti, Norway
"Keep singing "The Least of These", folks need to hear it, learn it, and live it. - Jon Baker
"Hey Malcolm, "The Blue Martini and Belly Dancer", great stuff." - Willie Allen
"I have a great love of music and poetry. I have to say that the song "Sometimes" is so poignant - simple and accurate. You have put a reality into words that most don't even acknowledge." - Nichole Brown
""The High Cost of Living" CD is political enough to expose deep wounds, and musical enough to not only inspire, but to heal." Robert S. Koppelman, Author of "Sing Out, Warning! Sing Out Love": The Writings of Lee Hays
His recordings include these CDs:
Don't Cry Blue 2006 twelve songs
Ghosts of Flagler's Train 2008 six Florida songs
The High Cost of Living 2008 eight songs
My Home Florida 2009 eleven songs
Since moving to Florida in 1987, Malcolm has appeared at the Florida Folk Festival, the South Florida Folk Festival, the Will McLean Music Festival, and other venues around the state.
He began entering songs in the Will McLean Best New Florida Song Contest in 2004 and has earned several awards:
2008 Second Place: "The Ghosts of Flagler's Train"
2009 Top Ten Non Cash winner: "Mighty Big Blow Tonight"
2004 Top Ten Non Cash winner: "We Won't Hear the Everglades Cry"
He says, "I started out like a lot of people, played in the high school band, bought my first guitar from a friend's brother, picked up a copy of a Burl Ives songbook, and started singing and playing."
"I was not a great success in Nashville, I was told my songs were too much like poetry. But I did learn more of the craft of writing there."
"After moving to South Florida in '87 I wrote a few songs and did a few gigs, but was mostly dormant until (yes) I was in the shower one evening in the Spring of 2003 and this song about my Dad and me started writing itself - The Father, the Child, and the Man. Then the songs just started pouring out."
"I write mostly to suit myself now, but always with an audience in mind. I don't consider myself an average person and I don't think anyone really is. I'm just different, and I find much of what I write resonates deeply with a lot of different people."
"The Will McLean Best New Florida Song Contest has inspired me to write two CDs worth of Florida songs. I have made extensive use of the internet as well as published and personal sources for inspiration and confirmation of details."