Mac McAnally, Huntsville Times article
Posted: July 30, 2004 9:13 am
Singer brings 3 decades of stories to Crossroads
Mac McAnally says 'to be still doing my hobby for a
living is remarkable'
Thursday, July 29, 2004
By CHRIS WELCH
Times Entertainment Writer, chrisw@htimes.com
He's written hit records for artists from Alabama to
Jimmy Buffett and had hits himself, but many music
fans - especially those of younger vintage - don't
have a clue how talented singer/songwriter Mac
McAnally really is.
"I think the moviemaker John Huston said if you keep
failing long enough, you're a legend," McAnally said.
He's performing here Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. at
Crossroads Cafe. The cover charge is $15.
"My goal is to fail over six decades in the business,"
McAnally said, laughing.
McAnally, more humble and modest than most with his
long-term success, hasn't been anything resembling a
failure during his first three decades as a producer,
session player, publisher, band member, studio owner
and a storyteller some compare to a modern-day William
Faulkner.
And don't look for that trend to change during the
next three - decades, that is.
"I'm just impressed that you consider 30 years as the
first half of my career," McAnally said, again
laughing. "If the next half is a third of what the
first half has been, I'll be as lucky as anybody.
"I think I was 19 when my first record came out, and
to be still doing my hobby for a living is a
remarkable thing. I'll never complain in a hundred
lifetimes."
Since releasing the crossover hit "It's a Crazy World"
in 1977, the storyteller/singer has earned widespread
respect in the music business during the last three
decades. Consider the following:
He's been inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of
Fame.
He's written multiple No. 1 records on the country
charts as well as others on Top 40 charts. More than
30 national recording artists have recorded songs
written by McAnally, including Alabama's "Old Flame,"
"Two Dozen Roses" by Shenandoah and "All These Years"
and "Thank God For You" by Sawyer Brown.
He's a member of Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band.
Artists such as Roy Orbison, Hank Williams Jr., Amy
Grant, Travis Tritt, Linda Rondstadt, Nanci Griffith,
Mary Chapin Carpenter, Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton and
Alabama have hired McAnally for his guitar playing or
vocal harmonies.
McAnally produced Buffett's "License To Chill" album,
which last week went to No. 1 on the Billboard charts
after selling more than 238,000 CDs. It's Buffett's
fastest-selling and first No. 1 album. McAnally also
co-wrote two songs that appear on the project,
"License To Chill" and "Coast of Carolina."
McAnally has a new album out, "Semi-True Stories,"
which contains 10 songs influenced by rock, jazz,
country and gospel featuring session players and
members of the Coral Reefer Band. During this tour,
including his date at Crossroads, he will be recording
the shows for a future live album.
"Since I started playing solos and doing nervous
storytelling about how the songs were written, people
would buy the songs but wanted to hear the stories
that go with the songs," he said. "I never took it
serious, but after 20-something years I thought,
'maybe I'll do that.' "
Mac McAnally says 'to be still doing my hobby for a
living is remarkable'
Thursday, July 29, 2004
By CHRIS WELCH
Times Entertainment Writer, chrisw@htimes.com
He's written hit records for artists from Alabama to
Jimmy Buffett and had hits himself, but many music
fans - especially those of younger vintage - don't
have a clue how talented singer/songwriter Mac
McAnally really is.
"I think the moviemaker John Huston said if you keep
failing long enough, you're a legend," McAnally said.
He's performing here Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. at
Crossroads Cafe. The cover charge is $15.
"My goal is to fail over six decades in the business,"
McAnally said, laughing.
McAnally, more humble and modest than most with his
long-term success, hasn't been anything resembling a
failure during his first three decades as a producer,
session player, publisher, band member, studio owner
and a storyteller some compare to a modern-day William
Faulkner.
And don't look for that trend to change during the
next three - decades, that is.
"I'm just impressed that you consider 30 years as the
first half of my career," McAnally said, again
laughing. "If the next half is a third of what the
first half has been, I'll be as lucky as anybody.
"I think I was 19 when my first record came out, and
to be still doing my hobby for a living is a
remarkable thing. I'll never complain in a hundred
lifetimes."
Since releasing the crossover hit "It's a Crazy World"
in 1977, the storyteller/singer has earned widespread
respect in the music business during the last three
decades. Consider the following:
He's been inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of
Fame.
He's written multiple No. 1 records on the country
charts as well as others on Top 40 charts. More than
30 national recording artists have recorded songs
written by McAnally, including Alabama's "Old Flame,"
"Two Dozen Roses" by Shenandoah and "All These Years"
and "Thank God For You" by Sawyer Brown.
He's a member of Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band.
Artists such as Roy Orbison, Hank Williams Jr., Amy
Grant, Travis Tritt, Linda Rondstadt, Nanci Griffith,
Mary Chapin Carpenter, Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton and
Alabama have hired McAnally for his guitar playing or
vocal harmonies.
McAnally produced Buffett's "License To Chill" album,
which last week went to No. 1 on the Billboard charts
after selling more than 238,000 CDs. It's Buffett's
fastest-selling and first No. 1 album. McAnally also
co-wrote two songs that appear on the project,
"License To Chill" and "Coast of Carolina."
McAnally has a new album out, "Semi-True Stories,"
which contains 10 songs influenced by rock, jazz,
country and gospel featuring session players and
members of the Coral Reefer Band. During this tour,
including his date at Crossroads, he will be recording
the shows for a future live album.
"Since I started playing solos and doing nervous
storytelling about how the songs were written, people
would buy the songs but wanted to hear the stories
that go with the songs," he said. "I never took it
serious, but after 20-something years I thought,
'maybe I'll do that.' "