Mac McAnally wins 10th CMA Award for Musician of the Year
Updated Nov 14; Posted Nov 14
By Mary Colurso | mcolurso@al.com mcolurso@al.com
Mac McAnally probably needs to buy a new trophy case. Tonight at the 52nd Annual CMA Awards, he scored his 10th win as Musician of the Year.
McAnally — a guitarist, songwriter, singer and producer — has a lock on this category, winning the CMA in 2008-2015 and 2017. He’s clearly a favorite among voters in the Country Music Association, but as McAnally will be the first to tell you, he never takes a CMA victory for granted.
“I continually demand a recount for every one I get,” McAnally told AL.com in 2016, after his eighth win. “And I feel compelled to call myself out, every time I make a mistake during a studio recording session. I’ll stop and say, ‘Let’s do one more for the Musician of the Year.’”
McAnally’s award was announced before the televised ceremony, which started at 7 p.m. CT at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
The musician, 61, probably is best known as a member of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band, but McAnally also has a solo career as a singer-songwriter. His songs are in demand among many artists in the country world, and have been recorded by Buffett, Kenny Chesney, Sawyer Brown, Ronnie Dunn, the Alabama band and more.
Most recently, one of McAnally’s songs, “It’s My Job,” was featured in “Escape to Margaritaville,” a Buffett-themed musical that spent four months on Broadway.
McAnally’s primary residence is Nashville, and he spends a great deal of time on the road. However, he also has strong ties to Alabama. McAnally was born in Red Bay and has a home and recording studio in Sheffield.
“The road has grown, from about a third of my time to close to half,” McAnally told AL.com in 2016. “I have three daughters who all live in Nashville, and my time has been skewed there. That way, I get to spend time with my kids. Muscle Shoals is a little more about work for me, and I believe the work benefits. If I have control of a project, I try to go to Muscle Shoals. And it’s not just me — the music likes to be there, too.”
Three other acts with Alabama ties — Little Big Town, Sam Hunt and Florida Georgia Line — were nominated for CMA Awards this year. All were defeated in their categories.