About Me
About Chip McCain
A Lifetime of Music, a Few Unexpected Key Changes, and One Heck of a Story
For Chip McCain, music found him — and apparently had no intention of letting him go.
Some musicians find music.
Over the years, the road has included touring bands, Nashville recording studios, packed performance schedules, radio, computers, entrepreneurship, community service, and more than a few unexpected detours.
Through all of it, one thing has never really changed:
Chip loves entertaining people.
And as anybody who has spent much time in the music business knows, the best stories usually aren’t the ones that follow the chart exactly.
Sometimes there are key changes. Sometimes somebody misses the cue. And sometimes the whole thing turns into a pretty good song anyway.
The Early Years: Finding the Beat
Chip spent his early childhood in Tampa, Florida. At the age of nine, a shooting accident dramatically changed the course of his life, eventually leaving him totally blind by fourteen.
That changed a lot of things.
It did not change where he was headed.
After attending the Alabama School for the Blind in Talladega for a year, Chip was mainstreamed into the public school system in Birmingham. He later attended high school in Springville, Alabama, along with the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham.
Somewhere in the middle of all that, music entered the picture.
Then it refused to leave.
Chip’s musical journey began in elementary school band, where several outstanding teachers recognized his ability and encouraged him to keep developing it. What started as an interest quickly became something much bigger.
By thirteen, Chip was already working with local dance bands as a drummer and occasional organist.
Most thirteen-year-olds were still trying to figure out what they wanted to do when they grew up. Chip was already trying to figure out where the next gig was.
From Behind the Drums to Behind the Keys
At seventeen, while studying Piano Technology at the E. H. Gentry Technical Facility in Talladega, Chip was offered a job as a sound and lighting technician for a local country act, The Wayne Hand Band.
It was good experience. He learned more about sound, production, equipment, and what happens behind the scenes.
There was only one problem.
He belonged on the other side of the PA.
Before long, Chip was back onstage, this time behind the keyboards with the popular regional dance band Charter Oak.
Then, in 1984, the road came calling.
Chip joined a Midwestern touring band and spent the next several years traveling, performing, and sharpening his skills as a keyboard player.
- Nightclubs.
- Dance halls.
- Long drives.
- Late nights.
- Load-ins.
- Load-outs.
And the kind of real-world musical education that only happens when you’re doing it night after night.
Then came Nashville.
Nashville: Studios, Stages & Life in the Music Business
In 1987, Chip moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to play keyboards for the up-and-coming recording act Dixie Grey.
What followed was nearly a decade immersed in one of the toughest and most competitive music scenes in the country.
Chip worked as a session musician in Nashville demo studios, performed on recording projects, and wrote and performed radio and television jingles for a studio associated with the Westwood One Network.
He also played piano for a Delta Blues act at Opryland and spent time on the road touring with established recording artists.
- Studios.
- Stages.
- Rehearsals.
- Sessions.
- Road trips.
- Late-night gigs.
- Early-morning load-ins.
- Probably enough coffee to keep a small truck stop in business.
It was the kind of musical education you simply can’t get from a textbook.
Those years sharpened Chip’s musicianship, strengthened his stage instincts, and helped shape the versatile entertainer he would eventually become.
Nashville has a way of teaching you pretty quickly whether you can hang.
Chip hung around for nine years.
Back to Birmingham — and Going Solo
In 1996, Chip returned to Birmingham and once again began performing with local bands.
But by then, the music business was changing.
Maintaining a full-time working band was becoming more difficult, and Chip saw where things were headed. So he made another adjustment and began developing himself as a solo entertainer.
That turned out to be a pretty smart move.
At the height of his schedule, Chip was performing as many as seven nights a week — and occasionally as many as eleven shows in a single week.
That’s not a typo. Eleven. Apparently sleep was considered optional.
During that period, Chip performed at some of Birmingham’s best-known venues and built a reputation as one of the area’s hardest-working and most frequently requested entertainers.
The solo format also gave him the freedom to build a large and diverse song list and adapt his performances to a wide variety of crowds and venues.
- Restaurants.
- Nightclubs.
- Weddings.
- Corporate events.
- Private parties.
- Reunions.
- Holiday gatherings.
- Special occasions.
Some nights called for laid-back dinner music. Some called for classic rock. Some called for country. Some called for dance tunes. And occasionally the crowd had ideas of its own.
That’s where experience matters.
Read the room. Play the right song. Keep people entertained. Make sure everybody has a good time.
Because a performer should be paying attention to the people in front of him — not just working his way down a playlist.
There’s More to the Story Than Music
Music may have always been the soundtrack, but Chip has never been particularly interested in playing only one note in life.
At sixteen, he earned his Professional Radio Announcer’s License from the Federal Communications Commission, adding broadcasting to an already growing list of interests.
He studied Piano Technology at E. H. Gentry Technical Facility and later pursued Computer Science coursework at Bessemer State Technical College.
Over the years, he has also completed studies and certificate programs in areas including:
- Business Administration
- Sales and Business Management
- Small Computer Information Interfacing and Networking
- Bed & Breakfast Management
Because apparently musician, broadcaster, and computer guy still left a little room on the résumé.
Chip is also an Ordained Minister and licensed Wedding Officiant, which allows him to participate in another very special kind of live event.
And yes…
he can perform at the wedding too.
That’s one way to cut down on the vendor list.
Musician. Tech Guy. Entrepreneur.
Chip’s career outside the music industry has been almost as varied as his song list.
Over the years, he has owned and operated several businesses, including a:
- Commercial cleaning service
- Restaurant and lounge
- PC networking and computer service company
- Web hosting service
- PYOP and canvas art studio
Those experiences gave him a practical education in business, technology, customer service, marketing, and entrepreneurship.
As it turns out, those skills come in pretty handy when you’re an independent musician.
Because making a living in music isn’t just about knowing the chords.
You also have to know something about customers, contracts, computers, websites, invoices, marketing, cables, equipment, schedules — and why some piece of gear that worked perfectly yesterday suddenly develops an attitude five minutes before showtime.
That’s show business.
Giving Something Back
For Chip, music has never been only about getting applause.
It has also been a way to give something back.
Throughout the years, he has regularly donated his time and talent to nonprofit organizations, veterans’ groups, community events, and charitable causes.
Chip has performed benefit shows for various Veterans of Foreign Wars posts, helping raise money for a variety of programs and needs.
He has also frequently performed Thanksgiving and Christmas programs for blinded veterans associated with the Southeastern Blind Rehabilitation Center at the Veterans Hospital.
And his involvement hasn’t ended when the last song was over.
Chip has provided free web hosting and webmaster services to the Southeastern Blind Rehabilitation Center Alumni Association, participated in the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Stars Behind Bars fundraiser, and supported numerous other nonprofit efforts over the years.
Because of his own experience living without sight, Chip has also spent countless hours providing free computer and technical assistance to other blind individuals.
Sometimes the most important performance isn’t the one under the stage lights.
Sometimes it’s simply showing up when somebody needs a hand.
The Next Set
Today, Chip lives in Social Circle, Georgia, with his longtime partner and love, Tracy.
She has been the angel in his life since their days back at Barrett Elementary and, after all these years, still manages to keep him grounded.
Which, considering the career path described above, is probably no small assignment.
The scenery has changed a few times. The equipment has gotten better. The technology has certainly gotten more complicated.
But the basic routine hasn’t changed all that much.
There’s still music to play. There’s still an audience waiting. And Chip can still be found performing in clubs, restaurants, private events, and venues throughout the area.
After decades behind keyboards, microphones, mixing consoles, computers, and more pieces of musical equipment than he’d probably care to inventory, Chip remains exactly what he was back when all of this started:
A working musician who genuinely loves what he does.
His life has included some difficult passages, some remarkable opportunities, a lot of miles, a lot of stages, and more than a few unexpected key changes.
But through every verse and chorus, Chip has kept moving forward with humor, determination, curiosity, and a commitment to his craft, his customers, and his community.
And after all these years?
The music is still playing.
The Next Gig Could Be Yours
Weddings. Private parties. Restaurants. Nightclubs. Corporate gatherings. Reunions. Holiday celebrations. Special events.
Whatever you’ve got planned, Chip brings more than four decades of professional experience, a huge song list, professional gear, and the instincts that come from spending a lifetime in front of real audiences.
Your event deserves a performer — not a playlist.
The gear is ready. The songs are waiting. All that’s missing is the next gig.