Born 62 Years Ago in the City of Angels, the Country Rock Singer Who Soundtracked Tom Cruise and Quentin Tarantino Classics

August 17, 2026, 12:15pm

On this day (August 17) in 1964, Maria McKee was born in Los Angeles, California. She rose to prominence in the 1980s with her band Lone Justice. Later, she embarked on a solo career that included songs that appeared in now-classic movies like Pulp Fiction and Days of Thunder. McKee also wrote songs that have been recorded by artists like Bette Midler, the Chicks, and Feargal Sharkey.

McKee is the half-sister of Bryan MacLean, the late guitarist of the psychedelic pop band Love. More than a half-sibling, he was her close friend and mentor until he died in 1998. She followed his footsteps into the music business. However, she took a different direction with her career. In the early 1980s, she was one of the founding members of Lone Justice. The band’s sound, a blend of alternative rock and roots music, was a predecessor of Americana.

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Lone Justice found support from major names in the music industry. Dolly Parton saw them live and called McKee “The greatest girl singer any band could have.” Later, Linda Ronstadt brought the band to the attention of David Geffen, which helped them land a record deal with Geffen Records. Jimmy Iovine produced their self-titled debut album. The band also opened for major acts like Tom Petty and U2.

The band broke up after their sophomore album. Then, in 1987, McKee embarked on her solo career. Two years later, she released her self-titled debut album. She has since released six more studio albums alongside three live albums. Her most recent LP, La Vida Nuova, was released in 2020.

Maria McKee’s Biggest Hit Appeared on a Classic Soundtrack

Maria McKee has an impressive discography, especially when including her work with Lone Justice. However, some of her best-known songs appeared in soundtracks. For instance, Quentin Tarantino selected her song “If Love Is a Red Dress (Hang Me in Rags)” for his 1994 cult classic Pulp Fiction. Her biggest career hit, though, was “Show Me Heaven” from Days of Thunder.

“Show Me Heaven” didn’t make waves in the United States. However, it was an international hit, topping the charts in three countries, including the United Kingdom. However, the song doesn’t fit with the rest of her output. As a result, she rarely performed it live.

“I didn’t sing it live as much, because I started out in a rock band when I was a teenager, a post-punk alternative country band. Then, I had a solo career as a singer/songwriter. So, my fans really didn’t expect to hear a big power ballad in the set,” McKee explained in a 2016 interview. Then, she revealed what made her add the song to her set after not singing it for more than a decade. “When I performed at Gay Pride in Dublin about six or seven years ago, they asked me to sing it. That was the first time I brought it back out. I’ve been singing it ever since.”