My Favorite Female Vocalists: 6. Maria McKee

An artist who's so good that some big names have covered her songs

Disclaimer: this countdown isn’t meant to be an all-time definitive list. These are simply my favorites.

Maria McKee got an early start in the music business, thanks to her brother, Bryan MacLean, who was in the ‘60s band Love. Maria played in clubs around Los Angeles as a teen, and first hit the big time with the country-punk band Lone Justice.

When Lone Justice first began playing shows, no less of an authority than Dolly Parton referred to Maria as “the greatest girl singer any band could ever have.”

Lone Justice recorded two albums, their incredible self-titled debut and the way-too-slick-but-still-good Shelter. Shortly after that, the band broke up, and Maria went solo, beginning with her own exquisitely produced self-titled album in 1989.

Even though she was only 25, Maria wrote and sang like a woman who was wearied by love and hard living.

She followed up that debut with one of the best albums of all time, 1993’s You Gotta Sin to Get Saved.

After that sublime album, she has released several indie records that contain some amazing songs that blend rock with theatrical elements.

It’s amazing enough that she’s such a good songwriter that people like the Dixie Chicks, Crystal Lewis, and Bette Midler have covered her tunes. But the fact that Maria McKee’s originals are so memorable is testament to what a singular talent she is.

Photo credit: Jim Akin, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons [Akin is Maria McKee’s husband.]