And the Hello and we hope you're all in good health.

Hello and welcome to So The Jaker on songwriting.

This is Brian here with Simon and we hope you're all in good health. the

Jaker on songwriting. This is Brian here with Simon and we hope you're all in good health. Joining us today is a renowned American singer and songwriter

whom the Beach Boys Brian Wilson wants described as having a voice that could cut through steel.

His songs have been recorded or performed by the diverse likes of Elvis Presley,

Shirley Bassie, Glenn Campbell, Fred Astaire, Madonna, George Michael, Drake, Ed Sheerin and Josh Groban, to name a few.

In autumn of 2020, he re-released 12 of his classic albums, that's 173 songs,

onto streaming services in a partnership with Time Life, the first time those recordings

have been made available in a digital format, to which he added the new covers album

still playing favorites last October. We're honoured to welcome the great Don McClain to the show.

Don was born in New Rochelle, New York in 1945.

By the age of five he'd already developed a keen interest in a diverse range of music

and spent many hours listening to the radio and his dad's record collection.

He credits the Weaver's 1955 Live at Carnegie Hall album as his gateway into folk.

A sickly child he suffered with severe asthma which would keep him off school for long

periods. Nevertheless he began taking opera lessons around the age of 12

which strengthened his lungs and helped alleviate his condition. He bought his

first guitar as a teenager and by 16 was already writing and performing and making contacts in the music business.

He did his first recording sessions with Eric Darling and was invited to join the folk trio The Rooftop Singers but saw himself very much as a solo artist.

In 1963 he briefly attended Villanova University where he met Jim Croche,

and after dropping out, spent several years performing of venues like the Bititter End in New York and the Troubadour in LA

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