The founder of the original Commodores is BACK! As an irresistible force of social and cultural change, this Motown icon made his mark not just on the music industry, but society at large. McClary was part of a new musical group that was both authentic and groundbreaking and created a sound that the world had never heard before, one that was authentic, raw, and unbelievable. This was a sound that captured America and resonated around the world. The group is credited with seven number one songs, a host of top ten Billboard hits, and their vast catalog includes more than fifty albums with more than 120 million records sold.
McClary played an intricate role in creating the essences of the Commodores sound with his funky, rock flavored, and smooth intimate guitar licks and his collaboration (and discovery) of Lionel Richie. Together, they wrote over 60% of all the songs recorded by The Commodores. Lionel Richie once referred to the Richie/McClary writing team as “the Paul McCartney and John Lennon of The Commodores.”
In 1974, the Commodores broke the attendance record of the Beatles at the Araneta Coliseum in the Philippines just after the group’s first album, “Machine Gun,” made history by becoming the first gold album sold in the history of Motown Records. The Richie/McClary writing team wrote such hits as: Brickhouse, Slippery When Wet, I Feel Sanctified, Too Hot to Trot, Flying High, High on Sunshine, Sail On, Three Times a Lady, and Zoom just to name a few. McClary’s guitar licks on the smash hit, Easy, have been hailed as one of the best solo guitar performances of all time.
McClary also collaborated with Lionel Richie and Diana Ross on the Endless Love soundtrack and the Kenny Rogers project. He also wrote and produced songs for The Four Tops, The Temptations, Whitney Houston, Melissa Manchester, Michael Henderson, and Miles Davis’s bassist. He also produced a number one hit on a group called Klique, with their song, Stop Dogging Me Around.
McClary himself is a four-time Grammy-nominated song writer and producer, the first Commodore.
After taking time away from touring and recording to spend with his family and to fulfill philanthropic goals through Shepherd’s Hope and Celebs 4 Kids, he’s back on stage with unparalleled high energy and a brand new group—Thomas McClary and the Commodores Experience, playing all of your favorite hit songs from the original group.
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