> At a Glance
> – Nashville Hall of Fame songwriter Jim McBride died Tuesday, Jan. 6 at 78
> – Close friend Jerry Salley says death followed a fall taken the previous Monday
> – McBride penned Alan Jackson’s smash “Chattahoochee” plus hits for Cash, Reba, Waylon
> – Why it matters: A quiet architect of ’90s country sound leaves behind five No. 1s and a trove of standards still spun daily worldwide
Country music lost one of its most dependable hit-makers when Huntsville, Alabama native Jim McBride died from injuries sustained in a fall, just hours after celebrating his 78th birthday.
The Songwriter Behind the Hits
McBride’s catalog stretches from 1979’s first chart entry “We Let Love Fade Away” through Alan Jackson’s 1990s anthems. Their collaborations include:
- “Chattahoochee” – CMA Song & Single of the Year
- “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow”
- “Someday”
- “That’s All I Need to Know”
- “(Who Says) You Can’t Have It All”
Jackson, 67, posted two vintage photos and a heartfelt message four days later:
> “Jim was a good man and a great and genuine songwriter. He understood country music and touched many with his songs. Jim and I wrote some of my favorite songs together and I don’t know if my career would have ended up quite the same without his help, inspiration, and encouragement in my early years.”
A Career of Chart-Toppers
Waylon Jennings took McBride’s story song “Rose in Paradise” to No. 1 in 1987, two years after John Anderson made “Swingin'” a radio staple with the writer’s uncredited licks. Other McBride cuts landed on records by:
- Johnny Cash
- Conway Twitty
- George Jones
- Reba McEntire
- Willie Nelson
- Kris Kristofferson
- Jerry Lee Lewis
- Randy Travis
- Toby Keith
- Patty Loveless
He entered both the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2017.
Friend & Mentor
Fellow writer Jerry Salley announced the death on Facebook, saying McBride “passed away unexpectedly this morning from a fall that he took last Monday, late afternoon.”
> “Jim McBride wasn’t just a close friend, he was a true, lifelong brother to me. What hurts the most is that I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. But, someday we will be writing songs again for eternity.”
Born and raised in Huntsville, McBride didn’t pick up a guitar until age 21. Early compositions found a national audience through performances on the television series Hee Haw.
Key Takeaways
- Five McBride songs reached No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Singles chart
- “Chattahoochee” became a cultural touchstone, selling over a million copies
- Inductions into two Halls of Fame capped a five-decade career
- Survivors include generations of songwriters he influenced
Funeral arrangements remain private. In lieu of flowers, Salley asks fans to spin a McBride hit and remember the man who kept country lyrics plainspoken and true.
