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Mac McAnally

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Mac McAnally
McAnally (left) with Jimmy Buffett in June 2009
McAnally (left) with
Jimmy Buffett in June 2009
Background information
Birth nameLyman Corbitt McAnally Jr.[1]
Born (1957-07-15) July 15, 1957 (age 67)[2]
Red Bay, Alabama, U.S.
OriginBelmont, Mississippi, U.S.
GenresCountry
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, record producer
Instrument(s)Vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, mandola, piano, keyboards, harmonica, ukulele, percussion
Years active1977–present
LabelsAriola, Geffen, RCA, Warner Bros., MCA, DreamWorks Nashville, Mailboat, Show Dog Nashville

Lyman Corbitt McAnally Jr. (/ˈmækənæliː/; born July 15, 1957), known professionally as Mac McAnally, 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"; it is McAnally's only chart-topper as an artist. 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.

Biography

Early life and career

McAnally was born in Red Bay, AL. He began playing piano and singing in church at the Belmont First Baptist Church in Belmont, Mississippi as a child, and by age fifteen, he had composed his first song.[2] 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 No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] Reviewing it in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau said, "although it does often sound pat, as folk stoicism will in a post-folk context, the first side comes across pretty outspoken for a Mississippi singer-songwriter with royalties in the bank—the heroine of one song is a rape victim who murders both assailant and judge after the latter lets off the former. Side two is Joe South."[3]

A second album, No Problem Here, was issued in 1978, 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".[2]

McAnally continued to record even while writing for Buffett. Mac eventually signed with Geffen Records with two albums (Nothin' but the Truth, which included the single "Minimum Love" which reached No. 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".[2]

1990s and 2000s

In 1990, McAnally signed to Warner Bros. Records, releasing Simple Life that year. This album produced his first Top 40 country hit in the No. 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."[2] The only other single from Simple Life was the No. 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.[2] 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,[4] 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.[5] His first single release for the label is "You First". His first album for the label, Down by the River, debuted at No. 56 on the Top Country Albums chart, becoming his first chart entry on that chart since 1990.

In 2011, Mac McAnally released the new album Live in Muscle Shoals on Mailboat Records, recorded in July 2010 at the W. C. Handy Music Festival in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Appearing with him were the Coral Reefer Band, bassist Jim Mayer and drummer Roger Guth.[6]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Result
2007 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Inducted to Hall of Fame[7] Inducted
2008 Country Music Association Awards Musician of the Year Won
2009 Won
Musical Event of the Year — "Down the Road" Nominated
2010 52nd Grammy Awards Best Country Collaboration with Vocals — "Down the Road" Nominated
Country Music Association Awards Musician of the Year Won
2011 Won
2012 Won
2013 Won
2014 Won
2015 Won
2017 Won
2018 Won

Discography

Albums

Year Album US Country Label
1977 Mac McAnally — Ariola
1978 No Problem Here —
1980 Cuttin' Corners — RCA
1983 Nothing 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
2015 A.K.A. Nobody —
2017 Southbound: The Orchestra Project —
2020 Once in a Lifetime —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

Year Single Chart Positions Album
US Country US US AC[8] CAN Country CAN CAN AC
1977 "It's a Crazy World" — 37 10 — 64 — Mac McAnally
1978 "Opinion on Love" — — 47 — — — No Problem Here
1983 "Minimum Love" — 41 7 — — 5 Nothin' But The Truth
1990 "Back Where I Come From" 14 — — 18 — — Simple Life
"Down the Road" 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"[9] — — — — — —
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
2008 "Down the Road" (re-recording) Kenny Chesney 1 47 57 Lucky Old Sun

Music videos

Year Video Director
1990 "Back Where I Come From"
1992 "The Trouble with Diamonds" Michael Salomon
1993 "Not That Long Ago"[10] John Lloyd Miller
1994 "Down the Road"

Songs written or co-written by Mac McAnally

Title Co-writer Cover Artist Peak Chart Position [11]
"All These Years" Not Applicable Sawyer Brown #3 Billboard Country Singles Chart
"Back Where I Come From" Not Applicable Kenny Chesney #14 Billboard Country Singles Chart
"The Boys and Me" Mark Miller Sawyer Brown #3 Billboard Country Singles Chart
"Cafe on the Corner" Not Applicable Sawyer Brown #5 Billboard Country Singles Chart
"Crime of Passion" Walt Aldridge Ricky Van Shelton #7 Billboard Country Singles Chart
"Down the Road" Not Applicable Kenny Chesney #1 Billboard Country Singles Chart
"I'm Gonna Hurt Her on the Radio" Tom Brasfield David Allan Coe #52 Billboard Country Singles Chart
"I'm Gonna Love Her on the Radio" Tom Brasfield Charley Pride #13 Billboard Country Singles Chart
"It's My Job" Not Applicable Jimmy Buffett #57 Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart
"It's a Crazy World" Not Applicable Self-Recorded #37 Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart
"Minimum Love" Jerry Wexler Self-Recorded #7 Billboard Adult Contemporary Singles Chart
"Old Flame" Donny Lowery Alabama #1 Billboard Country Singles Chart
"One Owner Heart" Walt Aldridge & Tom Brasfield T.G. Sheppard #4 Billboard Country Singles Chart
"Opinion on Love" Not Applicable Self-Recorded #47 Billboard Adult Contemporary Singles Chart
"Precious Thing" Steve Wariner Steve Wariner #8 Billboard Country Singles Chart
"She Put the Sad in All His Songs" Robert Byrne Ronnie Dunn #59 Billboard Country Singles Chart
"Southbound" Not Applicable Sammy Kershaw #27 Billboard Country Singles Chart
"Thank God for You" Mark Miller Sawyer Brown #1 Billboard Country Singles Chart
"This Time" Mark Miller Sawyer Brown #2 Billboard Country Singles Chart
"Two Dozen Roses" Robert Byrne Shenandoah #1 Billboard Country Singles Chart
"You're My First Lady" Not Applicable T.G. Sheppard #2 Billboard Country Singles Chart

References

  1. ^ Ammerman, Josh. "Mac McAnally: A Biography". The Mississippi Writers and Musicians Project of Starkville High School. Archived from the original on 2000-01-18. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Ankeny, Jason. "Mac McAnally biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 7, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  4. ^ "Press for Psalngs.com". Press.Psalngs.com. Archived from Press.Psalngs.com the original on 2011-08-25. Retrieved 2009-08-28. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  5. ^ Bjorke, Matt (2009-03-16). "Mac McAnally Signs with Show Dog Records". Roughstock. Archived from the original on 2009-03-18. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
  6. ^ "CMT : News : Mac McAnally Reprises Career in Live in Muscle Shoals". Country Music Television. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  7. ^ "Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame". nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com. Retrieved 2017-11-25.
  8. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2007). Joel Whitburn Presents Billboard Top Adult Songs, 1961-2006. p. 181. ISBN 9780898201697. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  9. ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. May 1, 1993.
  10. ^ "CMT : Videos : Mac McAnally : Not That Long Ago". Country Music Television. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  11. ^ Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
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