Born in Red Bay, Alabama, and raised in Mississippi, Lyman Corbitt “Mac” McAnally Jr. told American Songwriter that he can’t recall a time when he didn’t hear music in his head. In his professional life, he would put those melodies to paper, penning songs like Alabama’s No. 1 hit “Old Flame” and Shenandoah’s “Two Dozen Roses.” Recently, Amy Grant and Mac McAnally wrapped up work on The Me That Remains, the contemporary Christian sensation’s first non-holiday album in 12 years. The “El Shaddai” singer, 64, paid tribute to her collaborator during the 18th ACM Honors Awards ceremony, where he accepted the prestigious Poet’s Award.
Amy Grant Praises “Honest Observer” Mac McAnally
During a Wednesday (Aug. 20) ceremony at the Pinnacle in Nashville, Amy Grant honored Mac McAnally with a tender rendition of his 1992 song “All These Years.” Originally recorded for his album Live And Learn, country music group Sawyer Brown took their version to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
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Ahead of the ceremony, Grant admitted to Billboard that she may struggle to get through her performance without crying. “It’s just so much about human nature,” she said. “We learn most of the best lessons the hard way, and this song is about that.”
McAnally, 68, took home the ACM Poet’s Award, which he received “for outstanding and longstanding musical and/or lyrical contributions” during his nearly 50-year career. The Academy of Country Music gives “special consideration” to a song’s impact on the culture of country music, according to its website.
“He’s such an honest observer of life, and I love that,” Amy Grant said of Mac McAnally.
Amy Grant Has New Music Coming
Ahead of the ACM Honors, Amy Grant revealed that Mac McAnally produced her 21st studio album, The Me That Remains. Arriving in January, the project marks her first non-Christmas album since 2013’s How Mercy Looks From Here.
Amy Grant and Mac McAnally co-wrote the album’s title track, which Grant said was inspired by her “multi-year recovery” from a traumatic 2022 bike accident. McAnally hyped the project up during a recent interview with Garden & Gun.
“I don’t even deserve to get to be associated with it, she’s so good,” McAnally declared, adding, “My standard line on Amy is that the most devout atheist in the world knows she’s an angel.”
Featured image by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for ACM
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