Mac McAnally
Encyclopedia
Lyman Corbitt "Mac" McAnally, Jr. (icon; born July 15, 1957, in Red Bay, Alabama
) is an American country music
singer-songwriter, session musician and record producer. In his career, he has recorded ten studio albums and eight singles. Two of his singles were hits on the Billboard Hot 100
, and six more on the Hot Country Songs
charts. His ninth chart entry came in late 2008-early 2009 as a guest vocalist on Kenny Chesney
's Number One cover of his 1990 single "Down the Road
". He has also produced for Sawyer Brown
and Restless Heart
, written several singles for other artists, and is a member of Jimmy Buffett
's backing band, The Coral Reefer Band.
. He began playing piano and singing in church at the Belmont First Baptist Church in Belmont, Ms as a child, and by age fifteen, he had composed his first song. From there, he went on to become a session musician in Muscle Shoals, Alabama
. During a session break, McAnally began to perform original material. The producers there encouraged him, and by 1977 he was signed to Ariola Records
. His self-titled debut album produced the single "It's a Crazy World" which reached #37 on the Billboard Hot 100
. A second album, No Problem Here, was issued a year later, followed in 1980 by Cuttin' Corners on RCA Records
. These latter two albums produced no chart singles. However, he found success as a songwriter for Jimmy Buffett
, in addition to co-writing Alabama
's Number One hit "Old Flame
".
McAnally continued to record even while writing for Buffett. Mac became the first artist to sign with Geffen Records during this period with two albums (Nothin' but the Truth, which included the single "Minimum Love" which reached #41 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Finish Lines) being issued in 1983 and 1988, respectively. He and Walt Aldridge
co-wrote Ricky Van Shelton
's 1987 single "Crime of Passion
".
, releasing Simple Life that year. This album produced his first Top 40 country hit in the #14 "Back Where I Come From." Kenny Chesney
would also record McAnally's "Back Where I Come From" for his 1996 album Me and You. Also in 1990, Steve Wariner
released a McAnally co-write, the Top Ten hit "Precious Thing
." The only other single from Simple Life was the #70 "Down the Road
", and by year's end, he exited Warner Bros.' roster.
McAnally's seventh studio album, Live and Learn, followed in 1992, producing three low-charting singles. Also that year, he produced Sawyer Brown
's album The Dirt Road
, and continued to produce almost all of their subsequent albums, in addition to co-writing several of the band's singles between then and the late 1990s, including the Number One "Thank God for You
", as well as the Top Five hits "All These Years
", "Cafe on the Corner", "The Boys and Me", and "This Time". His second and final release for MCA, 1994's Knots, failed to produce any chart singles, although Linda Davis
charted that year with "Company Time", which he wrote. Throughout the 1990s, McAnally also found work as a session musician, playing guitar on several artists' albums, in addition to joining Buffett's road band.
It was not until 1999, when he signed to DreamWorks Records
Nashville, that McAnally released his next album. This album, Word of Mouth, also failed to produce any singles. Another album, Semi-True Stories, followed in 2004 on Mailboat Records
, the same label to which Buffett is signed. Also in 2004, McAnally and Kyle Lehning
produced Restless Heart
's reunion album Still Restless
, which included covers of three McAnally songs. In 2008, McAnally was awarded Musician of the Year by the Country Music Association
. Also in 2008, he participated in the production of the album Psalngs, the debut release of Canadian musician John Lefebvre
.
Kenny Chesney
covered McAnally's 1990 single "Down the Road" on his 2008 album Lucky Old Sun
, as a duet with McAnally. This rendition, released in late 2008 as its second single, became McAnally's first Top 40 country hit since "Back Where I Come From" in 1990. In February 2009, it became his first Number One as a singer. One month later, McAnally signed to Show Dog Nashville
, a label owned by Toby Keith
. His first single release for the label is "You First". His first album for the label, Down by the River, debuted at #56 on the Top Country Albums chart, becoming his first chart entry on that chart since 1990.
McAnally is currently working with new Nashville-based country band Mockingbird Sun, producing their most recent album, "The Muscle Shoals EP", as well as the band's next album, due out in Spring 2012.
Red Bay, Alabama
Red Bay is a city in Franklin County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 3,374.-Geography:Red Bay is located at .According to the U.S...
) is an American country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer-songwriter, session musician and record producer. In his career, he has recorded ten studio albums and eight singles. Two of his singles were hits on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, and six more on the Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
charts. His ninth chart entry came in late 2008-early 2009 as a guest vocalist on Kenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney
Kenneth "Kenny" Arnold Chesney is an American country music singer and songwriter. Chesney has recorded 15 albums, 14 of which have been certified gold or higher by the RIAA. He has also produced more than 30 Top Ten singles on the U.S...
's Number One cover of his 1990 single "Down the Road
Down the Road (song)
"Down the Road" is the title of a song written and recorded by American country music artist Mac McAnally. McAnally has charted with the song on two separate occasions. The first of these two versions was released as the second single from his 1990 album Simple Life, and was a minor chart single...
". He has also produced for Sawyer Brown
Sawyer Brown
Sawyer Brown is an American country music band founded in 1981 in Apopka, Florida, by five members of country pop singer Don King's road band: Bobby Randall and Jim Scholten , both from Midland, Michigan; Joe Smyth , Gregg "Hobie" Hubbard , and Mark Miller...
and Restless Heart
Restless Heart
Restless Heart is an American country music band established in 1984. The band's original members were John Dittrich , Paul Gregg , Dave Innis , Greg Jennings , and Verlon Thompson...
, written several singles for other artists, and is a member of Jimmy Buffett
Jimmy Buffett
James William "Jimmy" Buffett is a singer-songwriter, author, entrepreneur, and film producer. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett's musical hits include "Margaritaville" , and "Come Monday"...
's backing band, The Coral Reefer Band.
Biography
McAnally was born July 15, 1957 in Red Bay, AlabamaRed Bay, Alabama
Red Bay is a city in Franklin County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 3,374.-Geography:Red Bay is located at .According to the U.S...
. He began playing piano and singing in church at the Belmont First Baptist Church in Belmont, Ms as a child, and by age fifteen, he had composed his first song. From there, he went on to become a session musician in Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Muscle Shoals is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. As of 2007, the United States Census Bureau estimated the population of the city to be 12,846. The city is included in The Shoals MSA. It is famous for its contributions to American popular music.-Geography:Muscle Shoals is located...
. During a session break, McAnally began to perform original material. The producers there encouraged him, and by 1977 he was signed to Ariola Records
Ariola Records
Ariola Records is a German record label. As of the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of BMG which in turn has since become a part of the international media conglomerate Sony Music Entertainment...
. His self-titled debut album produced the single "It's a Crazy World" which reached #37 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. A second album, No Problem Here, was issued a year later, followed in 1980 by Cuttin' Corners on RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
. These latter two albums produced no chart singles. However, he found success as a songwriter for Jimmy Buffett
Jimmy Buffett
James William "Jimmy" Buffett is a singer-songwriter, author, entrepreneur, and film producer. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett's musical hits include "Margaritaville" , and "Come Monday"...
, in addition to co-writing Alabama
Alabama (band)
Alabama is a country music and southern rock band from Fort Payne, Alabama, United States. The band was founded in 1969 by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry , soon joined by Jeff Cook...
's Number One hit "Old Flame
Old Flame (song)
"Old Flame" is a song by the country music band Alabama. Written by Donny Lowery and Mac McAnally, the song was released in 1981, and eventually became the group's third number-one song on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart....
".
McAnally continued to record even while writing for Buffett. Mac became the first artist to sign with Geffen Records during this period with two albums (Nothin' but the Truth, which included the single "Minimum Love" which reached #41 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Finish Lines) being issued in 1983 and 1988, respectively. He and Walt Aldridge
Walt Aldridge
Walt Aldridge is an American musician, singer, songwriter, engineer and record producer.Aldridge is known primarily as a Nashville songwriter...
co-wrote Ricky Van Shelton
Ricky Van Shelton
Ricky Van Shelton is a currently retired American country music artist. Active between 1986 and 2006, he has charted more than twenty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts...
's 1987 single "Crime of Passion
Crime of Passion (Ricky Van Shelton song)
"Crime of Passion" is the title of a song written by Walt Aldridge and Mac McAnally, and recorded by American singer Ricky Van Shelton. It was released in 1987 as the second single from his debut album Wild-Eyed Dream. The song spent nineteen weeks on the Hot Country Singles charts, where it peaked...
".
1990s and 2000s
In 1990, McAnally signed to Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, releasing Simple Life that year. This album produced his first Top 40 country hit in the #14 "Back Where I Come From." Kenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney
Kenneth "Kenny" Arnold Chesney is an American country music singer and songwriter. Chesney has recorded 15 albums, 14 of which have been certified gold or higher by the RIAA. He has also produced more than 30 Top Ten singles on the U.S...
would also record McAnally's "Back Where I Come From" for his 1996 album Me and You. Also in 1990, Steve Wariner
Steve Wariner
Steven Noel "Steve" Wariner is an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist. He has released eighteen studio albums, including six on MCA Records, and three each on RCA Records, Arista Records and Capitol Records...
released a McAnally co-write, the Top Ten hit "Precious Thing
Precious Thing
"Precious Thing" is a single by American country music artist Steve Wariner. Released in 1990, it was the second single from the album Laredo. The song reached #8 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.-Chart performance:...
." The only other single from Simple Life was the #70 "Down the Road
Down the Road (song)
"Down the Road" is the title of a song written and recorded by American country music artist Mac McAnally. McAnally has charted with the song on two separate occasions. The first of these two versions was released as the second single from his 1990 album Simple Life, and was a minor chart single...
", and by year's end, he exited Warner Bros.' roster.
Sawyer Brown
Sawyer Brown is an American country music band founded in 1981 in Apopka, Florida, by five members of country pop singer Don King's road band: Bobby Randall and Jim Scholten , both from Midland, Michigan; Joe Smyth , Gregg "Hobie" Hubbard , and Mark Miller...
's album The Dirt Road
The Dirt Road
The Dirt Road is the eighth studio album by American country music band Sawyer Brown. Released in 1992 as their first album for Curb Records, it features the singles "The Dirt Road" and "Some Girls Do", both of which charted in the Top 5 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts in 1992...
, and continued to produce almost all of their subsequent albums, in addition to co-writing several of the band's singles between then and the late 1990s, including the Number One "Thank God for You
Thank God for You
"Thank God For You" is the title of a song written by Mac McAnally and Mark Miller, and recorded by American country music group Sawyer Brown. It was released in June 1993 as the lead single from their album, Outskirts of Town. The song reached number-one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs...
", as well as the Top Five hits "All These Years
All These Years
"All These Years" is the title of a song written by Mac McAnally, originally recorded on his 1992 album Live and Learn. It was later recorded and released in November 1992 as a single by the group Sawyer Brown from their album Cafe on the Corner...
", "Cafe on the Corner", "The Boys and Me", and "This Time". His second and final release for MCA, 1994's Knots, failed to produce any chart singles, although Linda Davis
Linda Davis
Linda Kaye Davis is an American country music singer. Before beginning a career as a solo artist, she charted three minor country singles as one half of the duo Skip & Linda. In her solo career, Davis has recorded five major-label studio albums and more than 15 singles...
charted that year with "Company Time", which he wrote. Throughout the 1990s, McAnally also found work as a session musician, playing guitar on several artists' albums, in addition to joining Buffett's road band.
It was not until 1999, when he signed to DreamWorks Records
DreamWorks Records
DreamWorks Records was an American record label. Founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks SKG, the label operated until 2005 when it was shut down...
Nashville, that McAnally released his next album. This album, Word of Mouth, also failed to produce any singles. Another album, Semi-True Stories, followed in 2004 on Mailboat Records
Mailboat Records
Mailboat Records is a record label established in 1999 by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. The label's first release was Buffett's Buffett Live: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays. In addition to Buffett, the label's roster includes Dan Fogelberg, Bret Michaels, Boz Scaggs, Def Leppard and...
, the same label to which Buffett is signed. Also in 2004, McAnally and Kyle Lehning
Kyle Lehning
Kyle Lehning is an American record producer whose work is mainly in the field of country music. He has produced virtually every album released by Randy Travis, who describes their partnership "an interesting relationship." The only exceptions are Travis' 1993 album Wind in the Wire, which was...
produced Restless Heart
Restless Heart
Restless Heart is an American country music band established in 1984. The band's original members were John Dittrich , Paul Gregg , Dave Innis , Greg Jennings , and Verlon Thompson...
's reunion album Still Restless
Still Restless
Still Restless is the ninth album released by the American country music band Restless Heart. Released in 2004, it was considered the band's reunion album, as it was their first release since 1998's Greatest Hits, as well as the first album since 1990's Fast Movin' Train to feature all five...
, which included covers of three McAnally songs. In 2008, McAnally was awarded Musician of the Year by the Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
. Also in 2008, he participated in the production of the album Psalngs, the debut release of Canadian musician John Lefebvre
John Lefebvre
John Lefebvre , is a Canadian musician, composer, entrepreneur, retired lawyer and philanthropist currently active as a songwriter, touring performer, and recording artist—as well as an activist and advocate who has made extensive contributions to the dialogue surrounding climate change issues.In...
.
Kenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney
Kenneth "Kenny" Arnold Chesney is an American country music singer and songwriter. Chesney has recorded 15 albums, 14 of which have been certified gold or higher by the RIAA. He has also produced more than 30 Top Ten singles on the U.S...
covered McAnally's 1990 single "Down the Road" on his 2008 album Lucky Old Sun
Lucky Old Sun
Lucky Old Sun is the thirteenth studio album released by country music artist Kenny Chesney. It was released on October 14, 2008 as the first release for Blue Chair Records, Chesney's personal division of the BNA Records label...
, as a duet with McAnally. This rendition, released in late 2008 as its second single, became McAnally's first Top 40 country hit since "Back Where I Come From" in 1990. In February 2009, it became his first Number One as a singer. One month later, McAnally signed to Show Dog Nashville
Show Dog Nashville
Show Dog-Universal Music is an American independent record label specializing in country music artists. It was formed from the merger of Show Dog Nashville and Universal South Records in 2009...
, a label owned by Toby Keith
Toby Keith
Toby Keith Covel , best known as Toby Keith, is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer and actor. Keith released his first four studio albums — 1993's Toby Keith, 1994's Boomtown, 1996's Blue Moon and 1997's Dream Walkin, plus a Greatest Hits package for various divisions of...
. His first single release for the label is "You First". His first album for the label, Down by the River, debuted at #56 on the Top Country Albums chart, becoming his first chart entry on that chart since 1990.
McAnally is currently working with new Nashville-based country band Mockingbird Sun, producing their most recent album, "The Muscle Shoals EP", as well as the band's next album, due out in Spring 2012.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Country Music Association Awards Country Music Association Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967... |
Musician of the Year | |
| 2009 | |||
| Musical Event of the Year — "Down the Road" | |||
| 2010 | 52nd Grammy Awards 52nd Grammy Awards The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year on January 29, two days prior to the Grammy telecast. Only ten of the 109 awards were received during the broadcast... |
Best Country Collaboration with Vocals — "Down the Road" | |
| Country Music Association Awards Country Music Association Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967... |
Musician of the Year | ||
| 2011 |
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Mac McAnally | — | Ariola |
| 1978 | No Problem Here | — | |
| 1980 | Cuttin' Corners | — | RCA |
| 1983 | Nothin' but the Truth | — | Geffen |
| 1988 | Finish Lines | — | |
| 1990 | Simple Life | 63 | Warner Bros. |
| 1992 | Live and Learn | — | MCA |
| 1994 | Knots | — | |
| 1999 | Word of Mouth | — | DreamWorks Nashville |
| No Problem Here (re-release) | — | ||
| 2004 | Semi-True Stories | — | Mailboat |
| 2006 | Cuttin' Corners (re-release) | — | Magic |
| 2009 | Down by the River | 56 | Show Dog |
| 2011 | Live: In Muscle Shoals | 72 | Mailboat |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
CAN Country | CAN | CAN AC | |||
| 1977 | "It's a Crazy World" | — | 37 | — | 64 | — | Mac McAnally |
| 1983 | "Minimum Love" | — | 41 | — | — | 5 | |
| 1990 | "Back Where I Come From" | 14 | — | 18 | — | — | Simple Life |
| "Down the Road Down the Road (song) "Down the Road" is the title of a song written and recorded by American country music artist Mac McAnally. McAnally has charted with the song on two separate occasions. The first of these two versions was released as the second single from his 1990 album Simple Life, and was a minor chart single... " |
70 | — | 73 | — | — | ||
| 1992 | "Live and Learn" | 62 | — | 98 | — | — | Live and Learn |
| "The Trouble with Diamonds" | 72 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993 | "Junk Cars" | 72 | — | 87 | — | — | |
| "Not That Long Ago" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009 | "You First" | — | — | — | — | — | Down by the River |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||
Guest singles
| Year | Single | Artist | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | CAN Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
||||
| 2008 | "Down the Road" (re-recording) | Kenny Chesney Kenny Chesney Kenneth "Kenny" Arnold Chesney is an American country music singer and songwriter. Chesney has recorded 15 albums, 14 of which have been certified gold or higher by the RIAA. He has also produced more than 30 Top Ten singles on the U.S... |
1 | 47 | 57 | Lucky Old Sun Lucky Old Sun Lucky Old Sun is the thirteenth studio album released by country music artist Kenny Chesney. It was released on October 14, 2008 as the first release for Blue Chair Records, Chesney's personal division of the BNA Records label... |
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "Back Where I Come From" | |
| 1992 | "The Trouble with Diamonds" | Michael Salomon Michael Salomon Michael Salomon is a music video/film director, who has directed many music videos, including many of Toby Keith's music videos... |
| 1993 | "Not That Long Ago" | John Lloyd Miller |
| 1994 | "Down the Road" |