Background information From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Samuel Timothy McGraw was born in Delhi, Louisiana, the only child of Elizabeth "Betty" Ann D'Agostino, a waitress from Jacksonville, Florida, and Frank Edwin "Tug" McGraw Jr., a pitcher for the minor league Jacksonville Suns and future star pitcher for the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies. McGraw is of Italian and Irish descent on his mother's side, and has Scots-Irish, English, Scottish, Swiss, Dutch, Czech, and German ancestry on his father's side. In 1966, McGraw's mother lived in the same apartment building as his father, who was playing baseball for Jacksonville, while D'Agostino was a student at Terry Parker High School. When McGraw's teenage mother became pregnant, his grandparents sent D'Agostino to Louisiana to live with relatives. Through his father, McGraw has two half-brothers, Mark and Matthew, and a half-sister named Cari.

Raised in the Louisiana towns of Start and Richland Parish, McGraw grew up believing his stepfather, Horace Smith, was his father and until he met his biological father, McGraw's last name was Smith. At age 11, McGraw discovered his birth certificate while searching in his mother's closet to look for a picture for a school project. Following the discovery, McGraw learned from his mother who his biological father was and she took him to meet the elder McGraw for the first time. Tug McGraw denied the parentage for seven years until McGraw was 18 years old. After that time, the two formed a relationship and remained close until the former baseball star's death in 2004.

As a child, McGraw played competitive sports, including baseball, even before the knowledge of who his father was and his professional baseball career. McGraw was also a member of the FFA in high school. Following high school graduation, he attended Northeast Louisiana University on a baseball scholarship and pledged as a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. A knee injury sustained while playing baseball for the college prevented him from pursuing a professional career in sports.

During college, McGraw learned to play guitar, and would frequently perform and sing for money. He has claimed his roommates often hid the guitar because he was so bad. McGraw followed his mother when she returned to Jacksonville, Florida in 1987. After the move, he attended Florida Community College at Jacksonville for one term, and occasionally sat in with local bands. In 1989, on the day his hero Keith Whitley died, McGraw dropped out of college to head to Nashville and pursue a musical career. 

1990s

«Tim McGraw»

McGraw came to the attention of Curb Records in 1990. After cutting a demo single, McGraw gave a copy to his father. A man who was friends with Curb Records executives heard the demo while driving with Tug one day and recommended that Curb contact the young singer. Several weeks later, he was able to play his tape for Curb executives, after which they signed him to a recording contract. McGraw's first single, "What Room Was the Holiday In", was released on March 29, 1991, and did not enter the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart upon its release. In a 2001 retrospective on McGraw's career in Billboard, a former program director for Nashville station WSM-FM said that he added the song to the station's playlist because it showed "undeniable promise," while another former program director at WXTU in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania recalled that McGraw's debut single was "terrible" but that he booked the singer to make an appearance at the station due to his father's fame.

Three more singles were released from Tim McGraw: "Welcome to the Club", "Memory Lane", and "Two Steppin' Mind". None made country Top 40 and the album itself did not chart. Both "Memory Lane" and "Tears in the Rain", another cut from the album, were co-written by Joe Diffie. "Memory Lane" had originally appeared on Keith Palmer's self-titled 1991 debut album. 

«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. Some radio stations refused to play it, but the controversy helped spur sales, and the song became McGraw's first top 10 country single (getting as high as No. 8), and reaching No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The second single from the album, "Don't Take the Girl", became McGraw's first No. 1 country hit, in addition to reaching number 17 on the Hot 100, and "helped cement his image as a ruggedly good-looking guy with a sensitive side." By year's end, "Down on the Farm" had peaked at number 2 on the country charts; after it, the album's title track became his second number 1 single in early 1995, and "Refried Dreams" reached number 5 afterward. The album sold over 6 million copies, topping the Billboard 200 as well as the country album charts. On the strength of this success, McGraw won Academy of Country Music awards for Album of the Year and Top New Male Vocalist in 1994. Billboard named "Not a Moment Too Soon" as the top country album of 1994 on Billboard Year-End.

«All I Want»

All I Want, released in 1995, also debuted 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, also crossing over to the Hot 100 at number 25. The album's next two singles, "Can't Be Really Gone" and "All I Want Is a Life" both made top 5, with "She Never Lets It Go to Her Heart" becoming his fourth number 1 in 1996. Finishing off the single releases was "Maybe We Should Just Sleep on It".

In 1996, McGraw headlined the most successful country tour of the year, The Spontaneous Combustion Tour, with Faith Hill as his supporting act. Hill broke off her engagement to her former producer Scott Hendricks so that she and McGraw could start dating each other; they then married on October 6, 1996. 

«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. Four singles - "It's Your Love", "Everywhere", "Where the Green Grass Grows", and "Just to See You Smile" - reached the top of the country charts from the album.

The Country Music Association awarded "Everywhere" its Album of the Year award for 1997. At the 40th Grammy Awards, "It's Your Love" received two Grammy Award nominations for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals and Best Country Song. "It's Your Love" and "Just to See You Smile" were the Top country songs of 1997 and 1998 according to Billboard YearEnd; "Just to See You Smile" also set a record for the longest run on the country charts at the time, at 42 weeks.

The album's other two singles, "One of These Days" and "For a Little While" both peaked at number 2.

«A Place in the Sun»

A Place in the Sun continued McGraw's streak in 1999, debuting atop both the US country and pop album charts and selling 3 million copies. 251,000 copies were sold in the first week, making it his first number 1 opener on the Billboard 200. It featured another four chart-topping singles on the country charts including "Please Remember Me", "Something Like That", "My Best Friend", and "My Next Thirty Years". "Some Things Never Change" reached No. 7 on the country chart. He also contributed a song for the Grammy-winning tribute album to Bob Wills entitled "Ride With Bob". A cover of "Milk Cow Blues", this song was recorded as a duet with Asleep at the Wheel, whom he had met while performing together at the George Strait Country Music Festival.

McGraw recorded two more duets with his wife in the late-1990s, both of which appeared on her albums. "Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me", from her multi-platinum album "Faith" (1998), reached the top 5 of the US country charts, while her follow-up album "Breathe" (1999) featured "Let's Make Love", which won a Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Collaboration in 2000.

2000s

«Greatest Hits»

In 2000, McGraw released his "Greatest Hits" album, which topped the charts for nine weeks and sold almost 6 million copies, making it one of the biggest-selling albums in the modern country market. In the latter half of the year, he and Hill went out on the Soul2Soul Tour, playing to sellout crowds in 64 venues, including Madison Square Garden. It was one of the top tours of any genre in the US, and the leading country tour of 2000.

While in Buffalo, New York, McGraw and Kenny Chesney became involved in a scuffle with police officers after Chesney attempted to ride a police horse. McGraw came to Chesney's aid after police officers nearby believed the horse was being stolen and tried to arrest him. The two were arrested and charged with assault, but were later cleared. During a concert with the George Strait Country Music Festival several weeks later, Hill, dressed as a police officer, made an unscheduled appearance at the end of McGraw's set and led him off the stage.

«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.

Hungry for more of his music, fans downloaded a version of his performance of the song "Things Change" from his appearance at the Country Music Association Awards Show. The song was played extensively on radio, becoming the first country song to appear on the charts from a fully downloaded version.

«Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors»

In 2002, McGraw bucked country music traditions by recording his album "Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors" with his tour band The Dancehall Doctors. Unlike rock music, where it is commonplace for touring bands to provide the music on albums recorded by the artist they support, country albums are typically recorded with session musicians. 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. 

All of the Dancehall Doctors have worked with McGraw since at least 1996. They include:

Darran Smith, lead guitar, acoustic guitar -  Bob Minner, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin - Denny Hemingson, steel guitar, electric, baritone, and slide guitars, dobro -  John Marcus, bass guitar - Dean Brown, fiddle, mandolin - Jeff McMahon, piano, organ, synthesizer, keyboards - Billy Mason, drums - David Dunkley, percussion

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". "She's My Kind of Rain" received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Country Vocal Performance-Male at the 46th Grammy Awards.

«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 an 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 and went on to become the top country song of 2004 on the Billboard Year-End charts.

It also became one of the most awarded records by winning ACM Single and Song of the Year, CMA Single and Song of the Year, and a Grammy. The album included three more singles: "Drugs or Jesus", his first single since 1993 not to reach top 10 on the country charts; "Do You Want Fries with That", and "My Old Friend". "Drugs or Jesus" became McGraw's first single since 1993 to not ever reach within the Top 10 on the U.S. country charts, while "Do You Want Fries with That" and "My Old Friend" peaked at numbers 5 and 6, respectively

 In late 2004, his unlikely duet with hip hop artist Nelly on "Over and Over 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 R&B 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 charts in the United Kingdom, becoming McGraw's first hit single in Britain and Nelly's third number one hit in the country after "Dilemma" and "My Place". "Over and Over" also reached the top of the charts in Australia, New Zealand and the Republic of Ireland, and the top 10 in Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Romania and Switzerland.

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.

McGraw, 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.

In the summer of 2007, McGraw and Hill toured together once again in the Soul2Soul 2007 tour.

McGraw released his eleventh studio album, Let It Go, on March 27, 2007. The album's first single, "Last Dollar (Fly Away)", peaked at number one on the Hot Country Songs chart. This marked McGraw's first No. 1 single since "Back When" in late 2004.

The album debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Top Country Album charts, marking his fourth No. 1 album on the 200 charts and his ninth overall. 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 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.

At the 2007 50th Annual Grammy Awards, McGraw received 5 nominations including Best Country Album "Let It Go", Best Country Song ("If You're Reading This" and "I Need You"), Best Country Collaboration with Vocals ("I Need You)"), and Best Male Country Vocal Performance ("If You're Reading This").

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, 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. McGraw released his third greatest-hits package, Greatest Hits 3 on October 7, 2008. The album features 12 tracks. McGraw 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»

McGraw's twelfth studio album, "Southern Voice", was released October 20, 2009, and led 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 McGraw's last album for Curb Records, following the dispute over releasing his third "Greatest Hits" collection back in October 2008 without his permission. McGraw did not approve of the release. On November 30, 2010, Curb Records released his fourth greatest hits compilation, Number One Hits.

2010s

«Emotional Traffic» and Curb Records lawsuit

On January 2, 2011, McGraw announced plans for his Emotional Traffic Tour featuring opening acts Luke Bryan and The Band Perry. Sirius XM announced on March 30, 2011 that they would be launching Tim McGraw radio, a commercial-free music channel devoted to McGraw's music, and featuring an in depth interview with McGraw as well.

As of fall 2010, McGraw had finished work on the album "Emotional Traffic", his last album with Curb Records. On May 13, 2011, Curb Records filed a breach-of-contract suit against McGraw. The label alleged that McGraw recorded tracks for his "Emotional Traffic" album too early prior to its delivery to the label. Several days later, McGraw filed a counter suit against the label seeking advance payment and recording-fund reimbursement, unspecified damages, and a jury trial. A trial was scheduled to begin in July 2012.

In November 2011, a judge granted McGraw permission to record music for another label, ending his relationship with Curb Records that began in 1990. A few hours after the ruling, Curb released "Better Than I Used to Be", the second single from "Emotional Traffic". The album was released on January 24, 2012.

«Two Lanes of Freedom»

In December 2011, McGraw released his first Christmas single, "Christmas All Over the World", on his own label StyleSonic Records. On May 21, 2012, however, he signed with Big Machine Records. McGraw's debut album for Big Machine, entitled "Two Lanes of Freedom", was released on February 5, 2013. It debuted at number 2 on the charts by selling 108,000 copies. The album includes the singles "Truck Yeah", "One of Those Nights", "Highway Don't Care" (a duet with Taylor Swift which also features Keith Urban on lead guitar), and "Southern Girl".

McGraw performed at the C2C: Country to Country festival in London on March 16, 2013. 

«Love Story» and «Sundown Heaven Town»

McGraw released a single titled "Lookin' for That Girl" in January 2014 as the lead-off single to his second album for Big Machine. It was followed immediately by the announcement of the Sundown Heaven Town Tour. The album, titled "Sundown Heaven Town", was released on September 16, 2014.

Four months into its run, "Lookin' for That Girl" was withdrawn as a single and replaced with "Meanwhile Back at Mama's", which features backing vocals from Hill. "Shotgun Rider" became the album's third single and a number 1 Country Airplay hit by the end of 2014. Following it was "Diamond Rings and Old Barstools", a duet with Catherine Dunn.

McGraw's eighth greatest hits album, "Love Story", is a compilation of his twelve biggest love songs and two previously unreleased recordings. It was released exclusively through Walmart on February 4, 2014, by Curb Records.

«Damn Country Music»

On August 10, 2015, McGraw released a new single to digital retailers, titled "Top of the World", which was later released to radio on August 17, 2015 as the lead single to his third studio album for Big Machine Records.

On September 17, McGraw announced that the album was titled "Damn Country Music", with a release date scheduled for November 6. The album's second single, "Humble and Kind", released to country radio on February 1, 2016 and went on to reach number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country charts. McGraw was selected as one of 30 artists to perform on "Forever Country", a mash-up track of Take Me Home, Country Roads, On the Road Again and I Will Always Love You which celebrates 50 years of the CMA Awards.

The album's third single, "How I'll Always Be" released to country radio on July 11, 2016. It reached at number 3 on the Country Airplay in February 2017.

«The Rest of Our Life»

On October 4, 2016, during a show at the Ryman Auditorium, McGraw and Hill announced that they would be going back on the road together again on the Soul2Soul World Tour. The tour began on April 7, 2017, in New Orleans and will continue into 2018, incorporating the C2C: Country to Country festival held in the UK and Ireland throughout March 2018.

Prior to the commencement of the tour it was reported that McGraw, alongside Hill, had signed a new deal with Sony Music Nashville. The signing also indicated the release of a duet album between the couple, and that multiple solo recordings would be produced. The new record label signing also preceded the release of "Speak to a Girl", the lead single from the duet album, The Rest of Our Life, which was released on November 17, 2017. The release of the album coincided with the opening of an exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum titled Mississippi Woman, Louisiana Man, which celebrates the careers of both McGraw and Hill.

McGraw released two major best selling books in 2019, with the first co-written with "Pulitzer Prize" winner Jon Meacham which reached #2 on the NEW York Times Bestsellers list. Songs of America: Patriotism, Protest, and the Music That Made a Nation. New York: Random House. 2019. ISBN 978- 0593132951. His second book, "Grit and Grace", also reached #2 on the New York Times Bestsellers list.

2020s

«Here on Earth»

In February 2020, McGraw rejoined Big Machine Records, which he was previously signed to from 2011 to 2017. He released a new album, Here on Earth, on August 21, 2020. The "Here on Earth Tour" was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

McGraw is married to singer Faith Hill. Together, they have three daughters:

Gracie Katherine (b. 1997), Maggie Elizabeth (b. 1998) and Audrey Caroline (b. 2001).

McGraw holds a private pilot license and owns a single-engine Cirrus SR22.

In 2015, Forbes estimated McGraw's annual income at $38 million.

Photo Gallery

Videos, Downloads