Mccoy’s latest album almost didn’t happen
Most men wouldn’t be able to turn down any sort of offer by country singer Miranda Lambert.
Unless, of course, your name is Neal McCoy.
“I originally sent a text to Miranda’s husband, Blake [Shelton], to see if he might be interested in producing my new album, and he sent me back a text just cussing up a storm,” laughs McCoy, who will bring his ever energetic live show to Joe’s Bar on Aug. 31. “I wasn’t sure how to take it, but you know Blake. He ended up asking if I was serious and said he would definitely be interested. Next thing you know, I get another text from Blake saying that Miranda wants to know if she can help, too. I decided to play around with them, so I texted him back with one word . . . Nah.”
This virtual banter among longtime friends eventually turned into a powerful combination of talent and toughness quite evident on McCoy’s 12th album, “XII,” which was released this year. A two-time Entertainer of the Year and the owner of five No. 1 singles, McCoy says working with Shelton, Lambert and producer Brent Rowan was a dream come true.
“Blake comes off as the ultimate partier, and we did spend a ton of time laughing in the studio,” chuckles the Texas hitmaker of songs such as “Wink” and “No Doubt About It.” “But they both know when to turn it off and get to work.”
Getting to work still comes fairly easy to McCoy, who remains hard at work on the road, playing more than 200 tour dates a year including numerous tours with the USO.
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“The road is where we are still making our living,” says McCoy, who has sold more than 6 million albums during his 21-year career and who now is signed with Cleveland-based record label Blaster Records. “We are still dedicated to putting on a great show every night. But it can be tough. It’s been a while since I put new material out, and I sometimes wonder if the young people will even know my name. The way I see it. . . . I’ll stay out on the road as long as people come to see me. The night no one shows up is the night I will retire.”
McCoy is far from retiring. And with a bunch of close friends living in Chicago, McCoy says he is thrilled to get back on the Joe’s Bar stage come Labor Day weekend. “It’s been a few years since I played there, but Joe’s is always a good time,” he says. “Fans in Chicago have great taste in music, I have to say.”
Until then, McCoy tweets. “Let’s just say tweeting does not come very natural to me,” he says. “I’m just the old guy trying to stay current. Of course, picking up some of Blake’s millions of followers isn’t too bad either.”
He also finds himself loving his role as family man, as husband to wife Melinda, dad to his two children, and grandpa to his 13-month-old grandson. “I’m actually on the way to Sam’s Club right now,” he says, laughing from the passenger seat of the McCoy family car. “My son is off to college and we need to pick up a few things.” Toilet paper, perhaps? “Oh yeah . . . tons of toilet paper,” McCoy says, laughing heartily. “I live quite the glamorous life, don’t I?”