Musicians Larry McCray and Drew Abbott visited the Historical Museum of Bay County recently to receive their framed induction certificates to the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.
Larry McCray, who currently resides in Bay County, has emerged as one of Michigan’s top blues artists during the past three decades. Born in Arkansas in 1960, his family moved to Saginaw in 1972 to take advantage of the economic opportunities offered in Michigan’s automotive plants. It was there that Larry was introduced to the guitar and the transformative music of important blues artists by his older sister, Clara. 
Larry McCray at the MRRL HOF
After graduating from high school, Larry took a job at a local General Motors assembly plant and began performing at area bars and music clubs with his brothers Carl (bass) and Steve (drums) as the McCray Brothers.
Larry’s guitar and vocals attracted the attention of Point Blank Records, and his first two albums for the label, “Ambition” (1990) and “Delta Hurricane” (1993), garnered critical acclaim for creating an exciting contemporary blues sound by fusing blues, rock, and soul.
Throughout the years, Larry continued to help define blues rock by collaborating with artists such as fellow guitarist Albert Collins, who was also signed to Point Blank. Playing music on national stages also allowed him to meet and get to know on a first name basis blues heroes such as B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Albert King, Junior Wells, and Luther Allison.
In recent years, Larry has begun working with Joe Bonamassa. “Blues Without You” was released in 2022, and he has a new album on Bonamassa’s label set to come out in 2025.
Drew Abbott was inducted into the MRRL HOF as the lead guitarist for Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band. Drew is a native Michigander who started his musical journey on drums before switching to rock guitar following the advent of The Beatles.
He first gained attention as the lead guitarist in Third Power, a three-piece band that recorded one album in 1970. After Third Power disbanded, Drew joined Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band in 1974 and appeared on Seger’s “Seven” album. 
Dr. J and Drew Abbott
Starting with the “Beautiful Loser” album in 1975, Drew was featured on six consecutive platinum albums by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band. The list included both the “Live Bullet” album, recorded at Detroit’s Cobo Arena, and the “Night Moves” studio album from 1976, “Stranger in Town” (1978), the Grammy-winning “Against the Wind” (1980), and a second live album, “Nine Tonight,” released in 1981.
He left the Silver Bullet Band in the early ‘80s over a disagreement regarding Seger’s use of session musicians on his studio recordings. Drew moved to Traverse City to start a family, and he went on to play in several different bands in the years since.
Drew and Bob Seger were reunited in 2004, however, when Seger asked him to take the stage at his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
Both McCray and Abbott were also guests on the MMHP989 podcast that is recorded weekly in the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Studio, located on the second floor of the Historical Museum of Bay County. Featuring co-hosts Scott Baker, Gary (Dr. J) Johnson, Fred Reif, and Mike Beattie, the entertaining podcast covers all genres of music. The show has won Best Streaming Musical Series for three consecutive years at the annual REVIEW Music Awards. The podcast also won Best Live Streaming Production award at the 2024 ceremony.
Past and current episodes of the MMHP989 podcast can be found at https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mmhp989
