Robert Lee McDill (born April 4, 1944) is a retired Americansongwriter, active from the 1960s until 2000.[1] During his career he wrote or co-wrote 31 number one country hits.[2] His songs were also recorded by popular artists of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, including The Grateful Dead, Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, Anne Murray, and B. J. Thomas. His music credits in film include Primary Colors, The Thing Called Love, Texasville, and the documentary Grizzly Man. In addition to four Grammy nominations McDill received Songwriter of the Year awards from Broadcast Music Incorporated, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and the Nashville Songwriters Association International.[3] In October 2012, McDill was awarded ASCAP's Golden Note Award in recognition of his "extraordinary place in American popular music."[4][5] In September 2015 he received the Academy of Country Music's Poet's Award for lifetime achievement.[6] In April 2023 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.[7] He is the author of two books: Tales of the Old River Rod and Gun, Bloody Mary Society andGentleman's Club and The Ancestors and Descendants of Robert Nathanial McDill.
Bob McDill was born Robert Lee McDill in Beaumont, Texas and grew up in Walden (near Beaumont). As a child he sang hymns with his family around the piano on Sunday afternoons.[9] His music education began with viola lessons in the 4th grade. From 1962 until 1966 he studied English at Lamar University,[9] while playing in a band called The Newcomers.[10]
While serving in the Navy, McDill corresponded with songwriter and record producerAllen Reynolds, and songwriter Dickey Lee. They helped McDill land his first chart record as a songwriter, "The Happy Man," recorded in 1967 by Perry Como.[11] A year later, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs provided McDill with his second success when they recorded "Black Sheep."[2]
After the Navy, he joined Lee and Reynolds in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1970, the three of them moved on to Nashville. There they joined music publisher and producer Jack Clement.[11]
Jack Clement's JMI Records released a solo album of McDill's in 1972, called Short Stories.[12] It featured many of McDill's compositions, including "Come Early Morning" and "Catfish John."[9] The album brought attention to his songwriting. "Catfish John" was also recorded the same year by Johnny Russell, becoming a top 20 Billboard Chart hit.[2] "Come Early Morning" was released in 1973 as a single from Don Williams' debut album; it became a top 20 country hit.[13] In the ensuing years Williams recorded several more McDill songs.
In 1976 he contributed multiple songs to Crystal Gayles' Crystal album, including her country hit "You Never Miss a Real Good Thing ('Til He Says Goodbye)."[14]Bobby Bare recorded an entire album of Bob McDill songs in 1977 titled Me and McDill.[15]
McDill retired from songwriting in 2000.[1] In September 2015, McDill received the Academy of Country Music's Poet's Award for lifetime achievement.[16] In 2017, he donated all of his awards, recordings, photos, manuscripts and notes from the breadth of his career to the Country Music Hall of Fame.[17]
Nobel Laureate Sir V. S. Naipaul's travelogue A Turn in the South written in 1989 features a section about Bob McDill. Naipaul, who was often acerbic, described McDill's song writing in a thoughtful portrait and liberally quoted from McDill's song "Good Ole Boys Like Me."[citation needed]
