“I always wanted to play with my fingers, but now I was forced to”: When his keys player quit, McKinley James had to rethink his playing style to play in a duo – and he did it without turning to pedals, because “none of my heroes did”

McKinley James plays his '59 Gibson ES-335 reissue with his fist in the air against a red background.

Nashville-based blues rocker McKinley James came flying out of the gate in 2022 with his Dan Auerbach-produced EP, Still Standing By. His momentum screeched to a halt, however, when his keyboardist split, leaving only him and his drummer, Jason Smay (who also happens to be his father).

“For a moment, I was like, ‘What are we going to do?” James says. “But then I thought, ‘Well, other bands have succeeded as a duo. Maybe we can, too.”