by Jason AnkenyA prolific Nashville singer/songwriter who authored hits for Jimmy Buffett, Alabama, and Steve Wariner, Mac McAnally was born July 15, 1957, in Red Bay, AL. Singing in church throughout childhood, at age eight he began taking piano lessons and within five years was performing professionally; McAnally later took up guitar and at 15 composed his first song, People Call Me Jesus. After quitting high school he went to work as a session player at Muscle Shoals Wishbone Studios; one night, during a break in a Hank Williams Jr. date, McAnally began playing some of his own original material, so impressing producers Terry Woodford and Clayton Ivey that they convinced Williams to record the tune I Need You Tonight. Signing to Ariola, in 1977 McAnally issued his self-titled debut album, scoring a crossover hit with the single Its a Crazy World and touring in support of Randy Newman.Acclaimed for the richly literary appeal of his songcraft, McAnally returned in 1978 with No Problem Here, followed two years later by Cuttin Corners; neither sold as well as his debut, but he remained one of Nashvilles most sought-after writers, penning material for Buffett (Its My Job) and Alabama (the chart-topping Old Flame). In the wake of 1983s Nothin but the Truth, McAnally did not release another new LP until Finish Lines five years later, in the interim penning hits for Buffett (When the Coast Is Clear) and Ricky Van Shelton (Crime of Passion); with 1990s Simple Life, he returned to the charts with Back Where I Come From, and a year later authored the Wariner smash Its a Precious Thing. After 1992s Live and Learn (which generated the minor hits The Trouble With Diamonds and Junk Cars), McAnally resurfaced two years later with Knots, remaining silent until releasing Word of Mouth in mid-1999.