Bob McDill

"Writing can be very intense. You pace up and down the hall, you drink cup after cup of coffee.  Sometimes you know exactly what you're trying to say, but you just can't make the language do it.   But still, you keep trying, because you know that line that says exactly what you're looking for is out there in the stratosphere somewhere, and you just have to find it."

"You can't write country music looking down your nose at it."

Birth Name: Robert Lee McDill
Induction Year: 1985
Date of Birth: 4/05/1944
Place of Birth: Beaumont, TX

 

Education:
Grade School--Cheek School (from 1950-1956)
High School--South Park High School (from 1959-1962)
College--Lamar University (from 1962-1966)

Career Milestones:

1967--first hit song, "Happy Man" recorded by Perry Como

1970--moved to Nashville

1973--first country hit, "Catfish John," recorded by Johnny Russell

1973--first major hits, "Amanda" and "Rednecks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer"

early 1970s--recorded his own LP, "Short Stories"

1977--Bobby Bare recorded an entire album of McDill's songs, "Me and McDill"

Awards:

1976--NSAI\Songwriter of the Year

1979--BMI\Citation of Achievement\No, No, No (I'd Rather Be Free)\Rake and Rambling Man\We Believe in Happy Endings

1985--NSAI\Songwriter of the Year

1985--BMI\Songwriter of the Year

1989--NSAI\Songwriter of the Year

1994--ASCAP\Songwriter of the Year

Catalog Highlights

Amanda

  • Artists: Don Williams (1973), Waylon Jennings (1979)

Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On

  • Artists: Mel McDaniel (1984)

Song of the South

  • Artists: Alabama (1989)

Louisiana Saturday Night

  • Artists: Mel McDaniel (1981)

Good Ole Boys Like Me

  • Artists: Don Williams (1980)

She Don't Know She's Beautiful

  • Co-writer: Paul Harrison

  • Artists: Sammy Kershaw (1994)

Gone Country

  • Artists: Alan Jackson (1995)

Don't Close Your Eyes

  • Artists: Keith Whitley

Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)

  • Co-writer: Dan Seals

  • Artists: Dan Seals (1986)

Say It Again

  • Artists: Don Williams

She Never Knew Me

  • Co-writer: Wayland Holyfield

  • Artists: Don Williams

Rednecks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer

  • Co-writer: Wayland Holyfield, Chuck Neese

  • Artists: Johnny Russell

Overnight Sensation

  • Artists: Mickey Gilley

The Door Is Always Open

  • Co-writer: Dickey Lee

  • Artists: Dave & Sugar

You Never Miss a Real Good Thing (Till He Says Goodbye)

  • Artists: Crystal Gayle

I Met a Friend of Your's Today

  • Artists: Mel Street (1976)

The Closest Thing to You

  • Artists: Jerry Lee Lewis (1977)

I'll Do It All Over Again

  • Artists: Crystal Gayle (1977)

Look Who I'm Cheating On Tonight

  • Artists: Bobby Bare (1977)

West Texas Women

Catfish John

  • Co-writer: Allen Reynolds

  • Artists: Johnny Russell

Save Your Heart For Me

  • Artists: Jacky Ward (1980)

I've Never Seen the Likes of You

  • Artists: Conway Twitty

I've Been Around Enough To Know

  • Co-writer: Dickey Lee

  • Artists: John Schneider

Nobody Likes Sad Songs

  • Artists: Ronnie Milsap

Big Wheels in the Moonlight

  • Artists: Dan Seals

Happy Man

  • Artists: Perry Como

Come Early Morning

  • Artists: Don Williams

Falling Again

  • Artists: Don Williams

(Turn Out the Light and) Love Me Tonight

  • Artists: Don Williams

Rake and Ramblin' Man

  • Artists: Don Williams

It Must Be Love

  • Artists: Don Williams

If Hollywood Don't Need You

  • Artists: Don Williams

Why Don't You Spend the Night

  • Artists: Ronnie Milsap

Right in the Palm of Your Hand

  • Artists: Mel McDaniel

What She Is (Is a Woman In Love)

  • Artists: Earl Thomas Conley

We Believe In Happy Endings

  • Artists: Earl Thomas Conley

In a Different Light

  • Artists: Doug Stone

If Bubba Can Dance (I Can Too)

  • Artists: Shenandoah

Black Sheep

  • Artists: Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs

Comments:

Was named a Distinguished Alumnus of Lamar University in 1989

Has received 37 BMI performance awards and 17 ASCAP performance awards

Is listed in "Who's Who in the South and Southwest" and "Who's Who in the World"

Included as both writer and artist on RCA Records' salute to songwriters album, "Signatures"

McDill met Allen Reynolds around the time of high school; when he was in the Navy, he sent Allen Reynolds some songs (Reynolds by that time had a small publishing co. in Memphis), got 2 songs cut, "Happy Man" (Perry Como) and "Black Sheep" (Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs); after the Navy he joined Reynolds in Memphis and wrote full-time; in the late 60s, Nashville producer Jack "Cowboy" Clement bought Reynolds publishing co. and brought McDill and Reynolds to Nashville