Top Ten Songs by Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw was born in Delhi, Louisiana on May 1, 1967. His birth name is Samuel Timothy Smith. He was raised by his mother Betty and the man he believed was his real father, Horace Smith. Tim was very competitive and loved to play baseball as well as other sports. He had a baseball card of one of his favorite pitchers taped to his wall, Tug McGraw. It wasn’t until Tim was 11 years old and discovered his birth certificate that he found out he was indeed the biological son of Tug McGraw. Tim’s own love of baseball earned him a scholarship to Northeast Louisiana University. It was there that Tim learned to play guitar and began performing. He dropped out of college and headed to Nashville to pursue a country music career. Tim was discovered while singing in front of a hot dog stand called HounDogs in Nashville, there was a small stage where aspiring stars could perform. Many country stars played there at some point before being discovered.
Tim McGraw’s first big hit came from his 1994 album “Not a Moment Too Soon”. The song “Indian Outlaw” put him firmly on the charts and he has been there ever since! “Don’t Take the Girl” from the same album made it to #one on the country charts.
Tim’s second album “All I Want” in 1995 spawned two songs that made it to #one. The still popular “I Like It, I Love It” which also was played during the 2005 NFL season each week with different lyrics referencing football plays. “She Never Lets it Go to Her Heart” was the second hit from the same album.
The next album Tim released in 1997 had several #one hits, one of which was made as a duet with Faith. The title song for that album, “Everywhere” and “Just to See You Smile” were the other two smash hits for that year, but in 1998 the catchy tune titled ” Where the Green Grass Grows” also made it to #one as an ode to living life in the country.
Tim’s next album, “A Place in the Sun” was also a huge success on the pop charts as well as on the country charts. The beautiful song featuring Patty Loveless titled, “Please Remember Me,” was a #one hit in 1999. There were other songs from that album that were hits as well.
There were also several chart-topping smash hits Tim McGraw and Faith Hill recorded as a duet. They are a dynamic duo together both professionally and personally. They put family first and I think that makes them even more appealing to their fans. Tim and Faith even won a Grammy Award in 2000 for Best Country Vocal Collaboration for one of their romantic duets.
Tim McGraw made a decision to record an album with his touring band, The Dancehall Doctors in 2002. This was nontraditional for country music recordings where session musicians usually are doing the recorded albums. He decided to go against what was considered normal because he felt a deep appreciation for his touring band. The Dancehall Doctors had been with Tim since 1996 and Tim felt they had a key role in his success. Tim was again rewarded with several hits from that album including the melancholy remembrance of youth titled, “Red Rag Top.”
Tim’s following album in 2004 had the title track, “Live Like You Were Dying” becoming another thought provoking #one hit and one of my personal favorites. This beautiful song won both Single of the Year and Song of the Year at the 2004 CMA Awards. This song is a reminder to live every day of your life to the fullest and to never wait until your time is running out! An inspiring song from a truly inspiring man! I hope Tim McGraw keeps the hit songs coming for a long time.
