Edwin McCain grew up in Greenville loving music, but expecting to become a lawyer. Eventually, he started busking in Charleston, one thing led to another, and before he knew it, he became one of the biggest hitmakers of 1998 and beyond. He’s released 10 studio albums, and is currently working on a new one right here in Greenville; he’s also gearing up for a nostalgia-packed summer tour with old friends Hootie & the Blowfish and Collective Soul. Called Summer Camp with Trucks, the tour currently has 48 dates planned across the US and into Canada.
Now married with three kids, he’s staying busy creating new music and touring, plus giving back to the community through involvement with organizations like Meyer Center for Special Children and Project Host. At 54, he’s able to look ahead with excitement while also looking back with gratitude. “The best part is the friendships,” he says. “I say this all the time; the currency in this life is truly the friendships. All the other stuff comes and goes.”
Q&A with Edwin McCain
How did you first become involved in music?
I signed up for choir, theater, musicals, anything that would get me out of art class. I even sang in a barbershop quartet, the Caveltones (at Christ Church Episcopal School). I’ve embarrassed myself in every way. Then I was in a band in high school, The Individuals, and I liked it, I had fun with it. But my father made me swear I’d never be a musician.
Why not? And what were you thinking of doing instead?
He (retired Greenville pediatrician Watt McCain) played sax in big bands in college, and he saw a lot of mayhem in the world of musicians. He wasn’t wrong, it’s a true thing. My plan was law school. I went to USC for a second, then College of Charleston, and I started playing music in Charleston.
Where did you play in Charleston?
I was busking on the street during Spoleto. I was in front of a restaurant called San Miguel’s, and the manager came down and said, if you play on our deck, I’ll pay you 75 bucks and give you a meal. I dropped out of college immediately, thinking, “I’m rich.”
What was your set like back then?
I knew how to play 15 songs. But that was great, because I would play 15 songs, then new people would come in and I’d play them again. I would play “Shooting Star” by Bad Company, or Widespread Panic songs.
This was around the time you met the guys from Hootie & the Blowfish?
I got a job playing in Hilton Head, 10 shows a week, as a solo guitar player. The Hootie guys came through regularly, along with a lot of great Southeast bands like Col. Bruce Hampton and Egypt. It seemed like everything was starting to happen. I was opening for Hootie and Dave Matthews. When lightning struck for those guys, we were just standing in line, in the right place at the right time.
Is it true the guys in Hootie insisted that you get signed?
Yes, they said, ‘We’ll sign your deal, but we’ll take our friend with us.’ I’ve spent my whole life trying to repay them for that. That’s the kind of people they are. Back then, all the bands were friends, it wasn’t competitive. Drivin N Cryin, Johnny Quest, Dillon Fence, we were all for one. If someone’s van was stolen, someone would loan them one. It was nice getting my foot in the door, but I had to do something to be able to stay.
And it seems you did that quickly, with your song “I’ll Be” hitting No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Airplay chart and spending 10 weeks in the Top 10 in 1998. How do you feel about that song 26 years later?
I never understood why people begrudgingly play their big hits, or are resentful toward the hits. It would be like having a winning lottery ticket and walking by it and saying, “Stupid lottery ticket!” It’s a gift. I’ve played it for thousands of people, but still, all these years later, anywhere in the country, I can get 500 people to come, and that, for me musically, is the top of the mountain.
What is it about that song that resonates with people?
If I knew, I would be the head of a label. It was honest, so there is a connection to something real. The songs that connect have that in as pure a form as you can have it. I was in my early 20s when I wrote it, and I wasn’t very careful with people. That song was me admitting that and hoping I’ll grow out of it. But songs change over time.
Is it harder now to hit the big note in that song?
I can still do it. I just have to make sure I don’t strain anything!
Tell me about the Summer Camp tour.
The ’90s nostalgia has kicked in. It’s going to be Hootie all summer, and Collective Soul. I’ll be on stage all night—I’ll open, and then sit in with Collective Soul and Hootie. Being out on the road with people you love, it makes it so much easier.
What’s next for you after the tour?
I’m getting ready to release a new album. We’re tightening it up right now (country singer Lee Brice is producing along with Matt Morgan at Sit-N-Spin Recording Studios in Greenville). The working title is Chasing a Memory. It checks all the boxes for one of our records: sad acoustic songs, soul songs, rock songs that feel like they don’t belong on it. I like making records that are all over the place, and don’t have one style.
See Edwin McCain and friends
Summer Camp with Trucks kicks off May 30 in Texas and runs through Oct. 12 at Riverfront Revival in Charleston. The tour will be at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville on Saturday, Sept. 21. For ticket information, visit edwin.com.
A few favorites
Megan Riegel, president and CEO of the Peace Center for the Performing Arts; “She’s an incredible friend and mentor, and has been quietly helping me my entire career. “
Gene Berger at Horizon records: “He’s my hero. He knows music at a molecular level. One of the nicest and most knowledgeable of people, and I just started buying vinyl again.”
Kevn Kinny, lead singer and guitarist for Drvin N Cryin: “He’s astonishing, unbelievable. I’ve never known anyone as big of a conduit for music. He’s one of the biggest reasons I play music. He’ll go down in history alongside Arlo Guthrie and Bob Dylan.”
Favorite artists to check out or revisit:
- Dire Straits
- Maya Sharpe
- Nil Lara
- David Wilcox
- Black Crowes
Summer songs.
- “That’s the Way of the World” by Earth, Wind & Fire
- “What is Hip?” by Tower of Power;
- “Chuck E’s in Love” by Rickie Lee Jones
- “Never Die Young” by James Taylor,
- “Friend Song” by Drivin N Cryin.
