Born on Christmas Day in 1934 in Jackson, Mississippi, McKinley Mitchell came up through the gospel circuit before arriving in Chicago in 1958. He cut his debut R&B single the following year on Boxer, but opportunities were limited until he brought “The Town I Live In” to George Leaner in late 1961.
Recorded on New Year’s Day 1962, the song became the biggest hit for both Mitchell and the Leaner Brothers’ One-Derful! label. “No Love (Like My Love)” is the flip side of that release.
