“a true storyteller” – Americana Highways
For his latest album, Once in a Lifetime, released in 2020, Mac McAnally is venturing into uncharted territory. Reflecting the intimacy of his concerts, he arranged most of the material around guitar and percussion, though he admits that several tracks outgrew that simple setup. While many songs are new, he also included a few older originals dating back to the early 2000s that seemed fitting.
With twelve songs pulled from different decades and musical directions, what ultimately ties all these tracks together is McAnally’s ability to find the silver lining. This perspective has accompanied him throughout his journey from being a shy, small-town kid from Mississippi to working as a teenage studio musician in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and eventually becoming one of Nashville’s most respected (and self-effacing) singer-songwriters. Once in a Lifetime encapsulates every aspect of his musical vision.
McAnally holds the record for winning ten trophies as Musician of the Year from the Country Music Association and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007, as well as the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame in 2011. His songs, recorded by others, have garnered thirteen top-ten singles, and he remains a first-call guitarist for studio and touring work.
McAnally observes that there are typically three kinds of people at his shows: those who have followed his career since his 1977 debut album, those who recognize him as the guitarist in Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band, and those who remember his notable credits in country music. The latter category is particularly impressive, with songs cut by Alabama (“Old Flame”), Kenny Chesney (“Back Where I Come From”), Sawyer Brown (“All These Years”), Shenandoah (“Two Dozen Roses”), and many others.
Recommended for Fans of Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson and Keith Urban.
LEARN MORE: https://www.macmcanally.com/
