Biography
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Born
6 July 1969
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Born In
Kingsport, Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States
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Died
30 October 2018 (aged 49)
Beverly McClellan (July 6, 1969 – October 30, 2018) was an American singer and a contestant in the first season of the American TV series The Voice, reaching the final four.
A soulful rock singer with honest lyrics and a raw sound, McClellan played over 10 instruments and released five independent albums. Originally from Virginia, she worked the clubs and bars around Fort Lauderdale, Florida for nearly 20 years. She was a finalist on the first season of NBC’s The Voice.
Rock ‘n’ roll is built on a foundation of great vocalists, and NBC-TV’s The Voice introduced her to the world as a singer of stunning power and range with the presence and ability to draw comparisons to Etta James, Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt and Melissa Etheridge, to name just a few. McClellan’s debut international release Fear Nothing presented her as a true and original artist — a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and dynamic presence with the ability, authority and desire to carve her own place in music history.
“I believe that I have a message,” said McClellan. “It’s simple: be yourself, love yourself, always be honest, and let the rest come naturally. That’s the way I live my life and make my music.” And that’s the easygoing Zen she applied to the recording of Fear Nothing at Los Angeles’ House of Blues studios with producer David Z. (Prince, Fine Young Cannibals, Billy Idol, Buddy Guy) and the superb rock and roots session players he assembled: guitarist Josh Sklair, keyboardist Jimmy Pugh, bassist Hutch Hutchinson and drummer Tony Braunagal — all noted producers in their own right. McClellan also brought along her own longtime guitar foil Billy Vazquez, and a stack of mostly upbeat and entirely heartfelt new songs.
“Making Fear Nothing was as smooth as melting butter on a oven-hot slice of bread,” the veteran of the south Florida club scene recounts. “I showed the songs to the guys and then we played them together in the studio and that was it. We played some of them two or three times, but a lot of performances on the album are first takes, so they have that edgy, live feeling just like on stage.”
Official Website: Beverly McClellan
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