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Biography
Infobox musical artist|name = Maria McKee|image = Maria_McKee.JPG|caption =|background = solo_singer|birth_name = Maria Luisa McKee|alias =|birth_date = birth date and age|mf=y|1964|8|17|origin = Los Angeles , California , United States |genre = Pop rock Alternative country Country-rock Rockabilly (early)|years_active = 1982& ndash;present|label = Geffen Records|Geffen (1989& ndash;1996) Viewfinder Records/ Little Diva Music|Little Diva (2003& ndash;2004) Eleven Thirty (2005) Cooking Vinyl (2007& ndash;present)|website = http://www.mariamckeeinfo.com/menu.htm MariaMcKeeInfo.com Maria Luisa McKee (born August 17, 1964, Los Angeles, California ) is an United States|American singing|singer and songwriter . She is best known for her work with Lone Justice and her 1990 UK solo record chart|chart-topping hit, " Show Me Heaven ".
Music
McKee was a founding member of the cowpunk / country rock musical ensemble|band , Lone Justice , in 1982, with whom she released two album s. Several compilations of both previously released and unreleased material and a BBC Live In Concert album have been released since their demise. Her band opened for such acts as U2 .
When she was 19,As stated by Maria before playing the song on Live - Acoustic Tour 2006 she wrote Feargal Sharkey 's 1985 United Kingdom|UK chart-topper|number one hit " A Good Heart ", a song she has since sound recording and reproduction|recorded herself and released on her album Late December . The song was originally written about her failed relationship with musician Benmont Tench . Sharkey would later go on to also cover "To Miss Someone" from her self-titled solo debut, on his third solo album "Songs From The Mardi Gras".
In 1987 she was featured in the Robbie Robertson music video|video "Somewhere Down the Crazy River", and contributed back-up vocals to his debut solo album, which included the song. She released her first solo, self-titled album in 1989. Her song " Show Me Heaven ", which appeared on the soundtrack to the film Days of Thunder , was a UK Singles Chart|number one single in the United Kingdom for four weeks in 1990.cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records|Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 | page= 339 She refused to perform this song in public up until recently, when she sang it for the first time in eighteen years, at Dublin Gay Pride. http://www.DublinPride.ie Dublin Gay Pride
Following her debut, McKee has released five recording studio|studio (and two live album|live ) albums. The later three, High Dive , '' Peddlin' Dreams and Late December , were released independently via her own Viewfinder Records record label|label (distributed in the UK via Cooking Vinyl ).
In 1998, The Dixie Chicks recorded McKee's track "Am I the Only One (Who's Ever Felt This Way? )" and included it on their Grammy Award|Grammy nominated album Wide Open Spaces .
Personal
McKee is the half-sister of Love (band)|Love guitarist Bryan MacLean , with whom she played in a duet (music)|duo as a teenager.cite book | first= Martin C. | last= Strong | year= 2000 | title= The Great Rock Discography | edition= 5th | publisher= Mojo Books | location= Edinburgh | pages= 627–628 | isbn= 1-84195-017-3 She attended University High School (Los Angeles, California)|University High School in West Los Angeles, California , and is married to her bass player Jim Akin, who co- songwriter|writes and co- record producer|produces her solo albums since High Dive in 2003. In the 1990s, she spent time living in Dublin and the East Village, Manhattan|East Village , before settling in her native Los Angeles.
Session and guest work
In addition to writing Sharkey's hit "A Good Heart", McKee has also contributed to the Victoria Williams ' tribute album Sweet Relief , on the song "Opelousas (Sweet Relief)". She has also provided backing vocalist|backing vocals to U2 's cover version|cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival 's "Fortunate Son" ( A-side and B-side|B-side of 1992 "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" single from their Achtung Baby album), as well as to the Counting Crows ' 1993 debut August and Everything After on "Sullivan Street" and "Mr. Jones". On Robin Zander 's 1993 solo album she sang backing vocals for the track "Reactionary Girl." She also sang backing vocals on Robbie Robertson 's debut and self-titled solo album, on the track "American Roulette". Much lesser known is her contribution of lead and co-lead vocals on two tracks on a contemporary Christian praise and worship album called "Come As You Are".cite web|url= http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/products/Maranatha_The_New_Jesus_Music/Come_As_You_Are/7641/ |title=Maranatha The New Jesus Music - Come As You Are & #124; CROSS RHYTHMS REVIEW |publisher=Crossrhythms.co.uk |date= |accessdate=2012-04-15
She contributed "If Love Is a Red Dress (Hang Me in Rags)" to the Pulp Fiction (soundtrack)| Pulp Fiction soundtrack in 1994. McKee also contributed a song "Never Be You" for the soundtrack to the Walter Hill (filmmaker)|Walter Hill film|movie Streets of Fire .
Ricky Ross (musician)|Ricky Ross , of Scotland|Scottish band Deacon Blue , wrote " Real Gone Kid " about her; the song became one of the band's biggest United Kingdom|UK Top Ten hits.Citation needed|date=July 2010 She recorded a duet, "Friends In Time",cite web |url= http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=ZzCWjXomrhc |title=The Golden Horde - Friends in Time video |accessdate=September 13, 2011 with The Golden Horde (band)|The Golden Horde on their eponymously titled album in 1991. She also recorded another duet, "This Road is Long," with Stuart A. Staples on his 2006 album, Leaving Songs. In addition she co-wrote the duet, titled "Promise You Anything," with Steve Earle which appeared on his 1990 album, The Hard Way (Steve Earle album)| The Hard Way .
She teamed with Dwight Yoakam for a duet on "Bury Me," from his 1986 debut, Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.
McKee contributed the lyrics and vocals to the song "No Big Bang" on the only album by The Heads, No Talking, Just Head , also playing guitar and synthesizer on the song together with the band, mostly ex-members of Talking Heads .
Discography
Main|Maria McKee discography
References
Reflist
External links
http://mariamckeeinfo.com/ Official website
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/mckee_maria/bio.jhtml A Maria McKee Biography @ VH1.com
http://www.bryanmaclean.com Bryan MacLean / Maria's Brother's Official Web Site - Member Of The 60's Band "Love"
Persondata | NAME =Mackee, Maria | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = American singer/songwriter | DATE OF BIRTH = August 17, 1964 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Los Angeles, California , U.S. | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Mackee, Maria Category:1964 births Category:Living people Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American female singers Category:American country singers Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:University High School (Los Angeles, California) alumni Category:Cowpunk
