Samuel Timothy "Tim" McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an
American country singer and
actor. Many of McGraw's albums and singles have topped the country music charts, leading him to achieve total album sales in excess of 40 million units. He is married to country singer
Faith Hill and is the son of former
baseball player
Tug McGraw. His trademark hit songs include "
Indian Outlaw", "
Don't Take the Girl", "
I Like It, I Love It", "
Something Like That", "
It's Your Love" (featuring his wife,
Faith Hill), and "
Live Like You Were Dying".
McGraw had eleven consecutive albums debut at Number One on the Billboard albums charts. Twenty-one singles hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country 100 chart. Three singles became the No. 1 country song of the year ("It's Your Love", "Just To See You Smile", and "Live Like You Were Dying"). He has won 3 Grammys, 14 Academy of Country Music awards, 11 Country Music Association (CMA) awards, 10 American Music Awards, and 3 People's Choice Awards. His Soul2Soul II Tour with Faith Hill is the highest grossing tour in country music history, and one of the top five among all genres of music.
McGraw has ventured into acting, with supporting roles in The Blind Side (with Sandra Bullock), Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, and Four Christmases (with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon), and a lead role in Flicka (2006). He was a minority owner of the Arena Football League's Nashville Kats. Taylor Swift's debut single, "Tim McGraw", refers to him and his song, "Can't Tell Me Nothin.
In honor of his Italian-American heritage, McGraw was honored by the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) in 2004, receiving the NIAF Special Achievement Award in Music during the Foundation's 29th Anniversary Gala.
Early life
McGraw was born Samuel Timothy McGraw in
Delhi,
Louisiana, a town in
Richland Parish, to a waitress, Elizabeth "Betty" Ann (née D'Agostino), and
Frank Edwin "Tug" McGraw Jr., who later became a
relief pitcher for the
New York Mets and the
Philadelphia Phillies. McGraw is of
Italian and
Irish descent on his mother's side, and of
Scots-Irish descent on his father's side.
, Louisiana, welcome sign notes that McGraw once resided there.]]
Reared by his mother in Start, also in Richland Parish, east of Monroe, McGraw grew up believing his stepfather, Horace Smith, was his birth father. From the time of his mother's marriage until the time he met his biological father, his last name was Smith. At age eleven, McGraw discovered his birth certificate while searching his mother's closet to find pictures for a school project. After his discovery, his mother revealed that his biological father was Tug McGraw, and took Tim to meet him for the first time. and became a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. During his college period, he learned to play guitar, and would frequently perform and sing for tips, although he claims that his roommates often hid the guitar because he was so bad.
His mother, Betty, returned to Jacksonville, Florida in 1987, and Tim followed. He attended Florida Community College at Jacksonville for one term, and occasionally sat in with local bands.
Not a Moment Too Soon
His second album,
Not a Moment Too Soon, was much more successful, becoming the best-selling country album in 1994. The first single, "
Indian Outlaw", caused considerable controversy, as critics argued that it presented
Native Americans in a patronizing way. but the controversy helped spur sales, and the song became McGraw's first top-ten country single (getting as high as No. 8), and reaching No. 15 on the pop chart.
The second single from the album, "Don't Take the Girl", became McGraw's first No. 1 country hit, and "helped cement his image as a ruggedly good-looking guy with a sensitive side".
All I Want
All I Want, released in 1995, continued his run of success, debuting at No. 1 on the country charts. The album sold over 2 million copies and reached the top 5 on the Billboard 200. "
I Like It, I Love It" reached No. 1 on the country charts as the lead-off single, while "
She Never Lets It Go to Her Heart" also went to No. 1 in 1996. "
Can't Be Really Gone", "
All I Want Is a Life", and "
Maybe We Should Just Sleep on It" were all top 5 hits.
Everywhere
McGraw's next album, 1997's
Everywhere, again topped the country charts and reached No. 2 on the album charts, selling 4 million copies.
Set This Circus Down
McGraw's next album,
Set This Circus Down, was released in April 2001, and spawned four number-one country hits: "
Grown Men Don't Cry", "
Angry All the Time" (with Faith Hill), "
The Cowboy in Me", and "
Unbroken". He provided harmony vocals for the
Jo Dee Messina song "
Bring On the Rain", which he also produced. The song topped the country charts. McGraw chose to use his own touring band, in order to recognize their part in
his success, and to capture some of the feel of a real band.
The album debuted at No. 2 on the country albums charts, with the single "Real Good Man" reaching No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart. "She's My Kind of Rain" reached No. 2 in 2003, and "Red Ragtop" reached the top 5. The album also featured a cover version of Elton John's early 1970s classic "Tiny Dancer", as well as appearances by Kim Carnes on "Comfort Me" (a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks) and Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles on "Illegal".
Live Like You Were Dying
2004's
Live Like You Were Dying continued McGraw's record of commercial success. The
title track, dedicated to his father
Tug McGraw, who died of a brain tumor earlier in the year, was a soaring ode to living life fully and in the moment, while the second single "
Back When" was a
paean to an easy nostalgia.
Live Like You Were Dying spent seven non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on Billboard (10 weeks on
Radio & Records), and went on to become the biggest hit single of the year. It also became one the most awarded songs/records by winning ACM Single and Song of the Year, CMA Single and Song of the Year, and a Grammy.
In late 2004, his unlikely duet with hip-hop artist Nelly on "Over and Over", a soft ballad of lost love, became a crossover hit, spending 10 weeks atop the Top 40 chart. "Over and Over" brought McGraw a success he had never previously experienced on contemporary hit radio or rap radio, and brought both artists success neither had previously experienced in the hot adult contemporary market. The song also spent a week at the top of the UK single charts, and was McGraw's first visit to the UK hit countdown.
Throughout the 2005 NFL season, McGraw sang an alternate version of "I Like It, I Love It" every week during the season. The alternate lyrics, which changed each week, would make reference to plays during Sunday's games, and the song would be played alongside video highlights during halftime on Monday Night Football. Later in the year, McGraw became a minority owner of the Arena Football League's Nashville Kats when majority owner Bud Adams (owner of the NFL's Tennessee Titans) was awarded the expansion franchise.
Let It Go
In April 2006, McGraw and Hill began their 73-concert 55-city
Soul2Soul II Tour, again to strong commercial acceptance. The tour grossed nearly $89 million and sold almost 1.1 million tickets, making it the top grossing tour in the history of country music. It was named "Major Tour of the Year" by the prestigious Pollstar Magazine, beating out such heavyweights as Madonna and the Rolling Stones. In a special gesture, the couple donated all of the profits from their performance in
New Orleans to Hurricane Katrina relief.
Tim, along with Kenny Chesney, contributed to a version of Tracy Lawrence's song "Find Out Who Your Friends Are", which can be found on Lawrence's album For the Love. Although the official single version features only Lawrence's vocals, many stations have opted to play the version with McGraw and Chesney instead.
McGraw released his eleventh album, Let It Go, on March 27, 2007. The album's debut single, "Last Dollar (Fly Away)", reached No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, marking Tim's first No. 1 single since "Back When" in late 2004. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart and No. 1 on the Billboard Country Album chart, marking his fourth No. 1 top 200 album and ninth No. 1 country album. His daughters can be heard singing the chorus during the last few seconds of the song on the video.
During the Academy of Country Music awards show on May 21, 2007, McGraw performed a song titled "If You're Reading This", which he co-wrote with The Warren Brothers. Several radio stations began to play the live recording of the song; as a result, it entered the Hot Country Songs chart at No. 35.
McGraw also produced the debut album of country music duo Halfway to Hazard. The duo's first single, "Daisy", peaked at No. 39 on the country charts in the summer of 2007.
In the summer of 2007, McGraw and Hill toured together once again in the Soul2Soul 2007 tour.
In the January 18, 2008 edition of the USA Today newspaper, McGraw was stated to be featured on the Def Leppard album Songs from the Sparkle Lounge, having also co-written the first single, "Nine Lives", with Def Leppard band members Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, and Rick Savage. The unusual pairing goes back to 2006 when McGraw joined Def Leppard onstage for the song "Pour Some Sugar On Me", and then collaborated on the song "Nine Lives" afterward. The album was released on April 25, 2008.
In May 2008, he hit the road with the Live Your Voice tour. The mainly-outdoor arena concert tour was his first solo outing in nearly three years. Also in May 2008, he debuted a new song off of his follow-up to Let It Go at the Stagecoach Music Festival in Indio, California.
In July 2008, Tim McGraw's sixth single, and the title track of his album, "Let It Go", was released to country radio. Following that, a seventh single, "Nothin' to Die For", entered the Country charts at No. 57 in late December. Tim McGraw released his third greatest-hits package, Greatest Hits 3 on October 7, 2008. The album features 12 tracks. Tim was set to debut a new song on the 2009 ACM Awards, but then cancelled his performance; he was replaced by Blake Shelton, who sang "She Wouldn't Be Gone".
Southern Voice
Tim's twelfth studio album,
Southern Voice, was released October 20, 2009, and lead by the single "
It's A Business Doing Pleasure With You", which was shipped to radio outlets in late June 2009.
Southern Voice was argued to be Tim's last album for Curb Records, following the dispute over releasing his third Greatest Hits collection back in October 2008 without his permission. Tim did not approve of the release. On November 30, 2010, Curb Records released his fourth greatest hits compilation,
Number One Hits.
On November 10, 2010, Tim McGraw presented at the 44th Annual Country Music Awards.
2010s
On January 2, 2011, Tim McGraw announced plans for his Emotional Traffic Tour featuring opening acts
Luke Bryan and
The Band Perry.
Acting
McGraw's first acting appearance came in a 1995 episode of
The Jeff Foxworthy Show, where he played Foxworthy's rival.
In 2004, McGraw played a sheriff in Rick Schroder's independent release Black Cloud. Later in the same year, McGraw received critical acclaim as the overbearing father of a running back in the major studio Texas high school football drama Friday Night Lights. The Dallas Observer said the role was "played with unexpected ferocity by country singer Tim McGraw". The movie went on to gross over $60 million dollars worldwide at the box office, and sold millions in the DVD market. Most recently, it was named one of the Top 50 High School Movies of All Time (No. 37) by Entertainment Weekly.
McGraw's first lead role was in the 2006 film Flicka, which was released in theatres October 20, 2006. In the remake of the classic book "My Friend Flicka", McGraw played the father, Rob, costarring with Alison Lohman and Maria Bello. The family-friendly movie debuted in the top 10 list and has grossed over $25 million at the box office. McGraw again achieved critical acclaim for his acting.
Shortly before Flicka opened, McGraw received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star is located at 6901 Hollywood Blvd. near stars in the sidewalk honoring Julie Andrews, William Shatner, and the late Greta Garbo. One of his Flicka co-stars, Alison Lohman, attended the ceremony that included comments from Billy Bob Thornton, McGraw's co-star in the film Friday Night Lights.
In addition to acting in Flicka, McGraw served as executive producer of the soundtrack album, which was released by his record label, StyleSonic Records, in association with Curb Records and Fox 2000 films. It featured the closing credit song "My Little Girl", one of the first two songs that McGraw recorded that he also co-wrote (the other being "I've Got Friends That Do", both of which were included on Greatest Hits Vol. 2). The song was nominated by the Broadcast Film Critics for "Best Song" in a film, and the movie was nominated in the category "Best Family Film (Live Action)". The movie proved to be another huge success in the DVD market, and has sold over a million copies, debuting at No. 3 on the DVD sales chart.
Charitable efforts
As his success has grown, McGraw has become increasingly interested in giving back to the community. When McGraw first reached fame in 1994, he established his annual Swampstock event. It began as a charity softball game to raise money for hometown little league programs; the event now includes a celebrity softball game and a multi-artist concert that attracts over 11,000 fans per year. The combined events have funded new
Little League parks and equipment, and have established college scholarship funds for students in the northeast Louisiana area.
From 1996 to 1999, McGraw hosted an annual New Year's Eve concert in Nashville with special guests including Jeff Foxworthy, the Dixie Chicks, and Martina McBride. The 1997 show raised over $100,000 for the Country Music Foundation Hall of Fame and Museum. Beginning in 1999, McGraw would pick select cities on each tour, and the night before he was scheduled to perform, would choose a local club and host a quickly-organized show. This tour-within-a-tour became known as "The Bread and Water Tour", and all proceeds from the show would go to a charity from that community. Later in the year, the couple established the Neighbor's Keeper Foundation, which provides funding for community charities to assist with basic humanitarian services, in the event of a natural disaster, or for desperate personal circumstances.
McGraw is also a member of the American Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet, to which various celebrities donate their time, skills, and fame, to help the Red Cross highlight important initiatives and response efforts.
McGraw has helped out with charity events held by Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre. The has featured McGraw (and at other times Faith Hill) performing concerts during dinners and auctions that benefit children with disabilities in Wisconsin and Mississippi. One instance is recorded on Favre's official website.
On July 12, 2007, it was made public that McGraw and his wife Faith Hill, while in Grand Rapids, Michigan for a performance, donated $5000 to Kailey Kozminski, 3-year-old daughter of Officer Robert Kozminski, a Grand Rapids police officer who was killed on July 8, 2007 while responding to a domestic disturbance.
In June 2010, Tim McGraw, along with his wife Faith Hill organized Nashville Rising, a benefit concert aimed to raise $2 million for The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee in response to the flood in early May that killed 22 people and caused $2 billion in damage.
Politics
McGraw, a
Democrat, has stated that he would like to run for public office in the future, possibly for
Senate or
Governor of Tennessee, his (adopted) home state.
Discography
Studio albums
Tim McGraw (1993)
Not a Moment Too Soon (1994)
All I Want (1995)
Everywhere (1997)
A Place in the Sun (1999)
Set This Circus Down (2001)
Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors (2002)
Live Like You Were Dying (2004)
Let It Go (2007)
Southern Voice (2009)
Compilation albums
Greatest Hits (2000)
(2006)
(2008)
Collector's Edition (2008)
Greatest Hits 3 (2008)
Limited Edition: Greatest Hits: Volumes 1, 2 & 3 (2008)
Number One Hits (2010)
Filmography
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0; background:#f9f9f9; border:1px #aaa solid; border-collapse:collapse; font-size:90%;"
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Film
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
! Year
! Film
! Role
! Notes
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2004
|
Black Cloud
| Sheriff Cliff Powers
|
|-
|
Friday Night Lights
| Charles Billingsley
| Nominated -
MTV Movie Award - Best Male Breakthrough Performance
|-
| 2006
|
Flicka
| Rob McLaughlin
| Nominated -
Critics Choice Award for Best Song: "My Little Girl"
|-
| 2007
|
The Kingdom
| Aaron Jackson
|
|-
| 2008
|
Four Christmases
| Dallas
|
|-
| 2009
|
The Blind Side
|
Sean Tuohy
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|2010
|
Country Strong
| James Canter
|
|-
|
Dirty Girl
| Danny
|
|-
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Television
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
! Year
! Film
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1997
|
The Jeff Foxworthy Show
| Lionel
| one episode; "Feud for Thought"
|-
|}
Awards
Further reading
Brown, Jim; Sparrow, Susan. Faith Hill & Tim McGraw: Soul 2 Soul. Quarry Music Books, 2002. ISBN 1550822934
Gray, Scott. Perfect Harmony: the Faith Hill & Tim McGraw Story. 1st ed. Ballantine Books, 1999. ISBN 0345434129
McGraw, Tim. Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors: This is Ours. Atria Books, 2002. ISBN 074346706X
Nichols, Tim, and Craig Wiseman. Live Like You Were Dying. Rutledge Hill P, 2004. ISBN 1401602126
Trimble, Betty "McMom". A Mother's Story. D'Agostino/Dahlhauser/Ditmore Pub, 1996. ISBN 1886371326
References
External links
Tim McGraw at Country Music Television
Category:1967 births
Category:American country singers
Category:American male singers
Category:American people of Scotch-Irish descent
Category:American people of Irish descent
Category:American people of Italian descent
Category:Curb Records artists
Category:Grammy Award winners
Category:Living people
Category:American film actors
Category:American musicians of Irish descent
Category:American musicians of Italian descent
Category:People from Richland Parish, Louisiana
Category:People from Nashville, Tennessee
Category:University of Louisiana at Monroe alumni
Category:Arena Football League executives
Category:Musicians from Louisiana
Category:Actors from Louisiana
Category:Musicians from Tennessee
Category:Actors from Tennessee
