Bob McDill

Robert Lee McDill (born April 4, 1944) is a retired American songwriter, active from the 1960s until 2000.[1] He has written songs for many country music artists, 31 of which were number one hits.[2] His songs have been covered by many popular artists of the 1970s and 1980s, including Don Williams, Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, Anne Murray and Juice Newton. In addition to four Grammy nominations, McDill has received Songwriter of the Year awards from Broadcast Music Incorporated, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and the Nashville Songwriters Association International.[3] In October 2012, he was awarded ASCAP's Golden Note Award in recognition of his "extraordinary place in American popular music."[4][5]

Bob McDill
Birth nameRobert Lee McDill
Born (1944-04-04) April 4, 1944
OriginWalden, Texas, U.S.
GenresCountry, popular
Occupation(s)Songwriter
Years active1967–2000
Associated actsCrystal Gayle, Don Williams, Juice Newton, Waylon Jennings, Ronnie Milsap, Bobby Bare, Dan Seals, Mel McDaniel

Biography

Early years

Bob McDill was born Robert Lee McDill in Walden, Texas (near Beaumont). McDill was initially inspired by his mother's piano playing and hymn singing]].[6] His music education began with viola lessons in the 4th grade, and eventually, he learned to play the guitar.[2] He went on to play in several local bands throughout high school. From 1962 until 1966 he studied English literature at Lamar University,[6] where he played in a band called The Newcomers, and where he first met songwriters Dickey Lee and Allen Reynolds.[7]

McDill enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve, serving two years active duty. While in the Navy, he received songwriting advice from songwriter and record producer Allen Reynolds, who helped McDill land his first chart record as a songwriter — "The Happy Man", recorded in 1967 by Perry Como.[7] One year later, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs provided McDill with his second success when they recorded "Black Sheep".[2]

After his stint in the Navy, McDill moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he planned to pursue a full-time career as a songwriter. By 1970, he and Reynolds had moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where the two found positions at Jack Music, a publishing company owned by Jack Clement.[7] Although he had initially tried to write rock and pop songs, McDill soon shifted his focus to country music after hearing George Jones' song "Good Year for the Roses".[7] Of the shift, McDill said:

“I just had an epiphany,” McDill said. “Then I began studying country music like a seminary student studies gospel.” Prior to his country epiphany, McDill’s major songwriting role models had been Joni Mitchell, Roger Miller and Paul Simon.[1]

Commercial success

Jack Clement's JMI Records released a solo album of McDill's in 1972, called "Short Stories,"[8] which featured many of McDill's compositions, including "Come Early Morning", "Song For Nan" and "Catfish John."[6] The album brought attention to his songwriting, including "Catfish John" which was also recorded the same year by Johnny Russell, becoming a top 20 Billboard Chart hit.[2] "Come Early Morning" would be released in 1973 as a single from Don Williams' debut album, and it would also be a top 20 country hit.[9]

For the next 30 years afterward, McDill wrote one song a week, with artists such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Anne Murray, Don Williams, Waylon Jennings, Keith Whitley and Mickey Gilley. In 1976 he contributed multiple songs to Crystal Gayles' Crystal album, including her country hit "You Never Miss a Real Good Thing ('Til He Says Goodbye)."[10] Bobby Bare recorded an entire album of Bob McDill songs in 1977 titled Me and McDill.[11]

In the early 1980s, Grammy-winning pop singer Juice Newton released four McDill songs: "I'm Dancing As Fast As I Can", "Shot Full of Love", "Runaway Hearts" and "Falling in Love"; the songs appeared on Gold and Platinum certified albums. The Kendalls covered McDill's "Just Like Real People", taking the song to the top ten on the country singles charts in 1980. "Don't Close Your Eyes" was recorded by Keith Whitley reaching #1 in August 1988 and was covered by Kellie Pickler and Alan Jackson. Two of Mel McDaniel's biggest hits, “Louisiana Saturday Night” and “Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On,” were McDill compositions. McDill also co-wrote a song called "Someone Like You" with Dickey Lee, which can be heard on Emmylou Harris' album Profile II. McDill continued to write songs into the 1990s, including "Gone Country" by Alan Jackson; "All the Good Ones Are Gone" by Pam Tillis (which received a Grammy Award nomination in 1998[2]), and "Why Didn't I Think of That" by Doug Stone.

Legacy

McDill retired from songwriting in 2000.[1]

Nobel Laureate V. S. Naipaul's travelogue "A Turn in the South" written in 1989 features a section about Bob McDill. The often acerbic Naipaul describes McDill's song writing in a thoughtful portrait and liberally quotes from McDill's song "Good Ole Boys Like Me".

Discography
See also: List of songs written by Bob McDill
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References
  1. Morris, Edward (July 3, 2008). "Songwriter Bob McDill Talks About His Many Hits". CMT. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  2. Hogan, Ed. "Bob McDill biography". Allmusic. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  3. "Bob McDill". Nashville Songwriters Foundation. Archived from the original on April 3, 2008. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  4. "Bob McDill to be Honored with ASCAP Golden Note Award at 50th Annual Country Music Awards". ASCAP. August 2, 2012.
  5. "The ASCAP Golden Note Award 2012". ASCAP.
  6. McCall, Michael (2012). The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Oxford University Press. p. 338. ISBN 9780199920839.
  7. Tackett, Travis (February 13, 2008). "Bob McDill next honoree as "Poet and Prophet" at the Country Music Hall of Fame". Bluegrass Journal. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  8. Bottstein, Dan (May 20, 1972). "New York". Billboard. 84, No. 21: 18.
  9. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. pp. 463–464. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
  10. "Crystal". AllMusic. November 30, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  11. "Bobby Bare - Me and McDill". AllMusic. November 30, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
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