Music

Mr. Nice Guy: For country music's Neal McCoy, success follows the golden rule

Performing music was always going to be in Neal McCoy's future. But it wasn't until the young singer crossed paths with country music legend Charley Pride that McCoy found a home underneath the brim of a 10-gallon hat.

The native Texan had spent more time playing R&B than country when he won a local talent contest in 1981. That landed him on Pride's radar and led to McCoy being offered a chance to work as his opening act on the road.

"Up until then, I sang a lot of kinds of music, and we incorporate a lot of it into the (live) show," he said. "I had not done a lot of country. Charley liked what he saw and talked to me. He was obviously a superstar. He asked me if I was interested in singing country. I said, 'I'd like to sing anything.' "

McCoy's four-stop tour of Alaska is set to kick off Friday in Anchorage and close Tuesday in Juneau.

During his yearslong stretch of opening for Pride, McCoy refined his laid-back, accessible style and was eventually rewarded with a record deal. But success didn't come immediately for the artist, whose given name is Hubert Neal McGaughey Jr., and who started his career performing under the name Neal McGoy.

His first two album releases, "At This Moment" in 1990 and "Where Forever Begins" in 1992, failed to garner a significant audience.

But McCoy struck gold when he teamed with Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section stalwart Barry Beckett, who produced 1994's "No Doubt About It."

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The album went platinum and spawned a pair of No. 1 country singles -- the record's title track and "Wink," which held the top spot for a month.

"No Doubt About It" marked McCoy's commercial peak, but he said the guidance provided by Pride has allowed him to continue to forge a successful career over the past 20 years.

"I learned this from Charley years ago," McCoy said. "He said, 'If you'll put on a great show and be nice to people, you can continue to work in this business.' That's not just the people you come in contact with, the fans, whoever you run into. It's easy for me, because I feel like I'm a nice person. We don't ever mail it in. When we had our success, music-wise, we were gracious. People would bring us back. Some of these places you'll play two, three, four, 10 times. These people will remember. That's what we learned."

It's been about 20 years since McCoy last visited Alaska. He played a four-show tour in the mid-1990s and even shot a video in the state for his rendition of the song "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye."

As country music started skewing younger, McCoy has worked with some of the genre's hottest new stars. In 2012, he released "XII," co-produced by Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert.

"It's terrific to work with them," he said. "I'm honored and flattered. When I called Blake (and asked him if he'd produce the album), he said, 'Nah.' I said, 'OK, thanks a lot.' He called me back and thought I was pulling his leg. I said, 'I'm serious,' and he said, 'Yeah, I'd love to do it.'

"When he called me and said Miranda was interested, I told him, 'Nah, tell her we don't need her.' Of course, I was kidding, so this time, I had to call him back and say, 'That'd be great, you didn't even need to ask.' "

While he's enjoyed working with emerging artists, McCoy believes that the rush to churn out the next hit single may stunt the careers of some of country music's contemporary generation.

"The one thing I worry about: Will these young artists still be playing when they're my age?" he said. "Are they developing loyalty or are they just getting the downloads?

"Artists like myself, Charley Pride, Conway Twitty and Merle Haggard, that's the advantage we've had. We've developed a loyal fan base, because (fans) like Charley or Neal. That fan base is going to buy that product whether it's on the radio or not. They're a fan of the artist, not just the song."

McCoy gave a nod to his mentor in his most recent album, "Pride: A Tribute To Charley Pride," which featured contributions from Darius Rucker and Trace Adkins among others.

McCoy is headed back to his pre-country days for his next album, recording an album of standards to be produced by Steve Tyrell.

"I love all kinds of music," he said. "I've always been a fan of the great American songbook, artists like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Dean Martin. It's an album I've wanted to cut since I was 10 years old. It's maybe something where my country fans won't understand my passion for songs like 'Fly Me To The Moon' and 'Don't Get Around Anymore.' They might not know them, but I think they'll like them."

One of McCoy's other passions is his charity, the East Texas Angel Network, which he started in the mid-'90s after a meeting with a 9-year-old boy who eventually died of bone marrow cancer.

"I met him right after my son, who is now 20, had been born," he said. "We were fortunate to have two healthy children. Oftentimes when groups start trying to raise money (for a sick child), it's too late by the time they've put their foundation together. (With the East Texas Angel Network), when a child needs it, it's already there. We've raised $8 million and helped between 400 and 500 families with the help of a lot of my friends in country music."

Neal McCoy

When: 8 p.m. Friday, May 15

Where: Egan Convention Center in Anchorage

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Opener: Brad Upton

Tickets: $45 at ticketmaster.com

When: 8 p.m. Saturday, May 16

Where: Kenai Central High School Auditorium in Kenai

When: 8 p.m. Sunday, May 17

Where: Carlson Center in Fairbanks

Tickets: $45 at ticketmaster.com

When: 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 19

Where: Centennial Hall Convention Center in Juneau

Chris Bieri

Chris Bieri is the sports and entertainment editor at the Anchorage Daily News.

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