About Bob McDill
Robert Lee McDill is a retired American songwriter, active from the 1960s until 2000. During his career he wrote or co-wrote 31 number one country hits. 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. In October 2012, McDill was awarded ASCAP's Golden Note Award in recognition of his "extraordinary place in American popular music." In September 2015 he received the Academy of Country Music's Poet's Award for lifetime achievement. In October 2023 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He is the author of numerous articles as well as two books: Tales of the Old River Rod and Gun, Bloody Mary Society and Gentleman's Club and The Ancestors and Descendants of Robert Nathanial McDill. While serving in the Navy, McDill corresponded with songwriter and record producer Allen 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. A year later, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs provided McDill with his second success when they recorded "Black Sheep." After the Navy, he joined Lee and Reynolds in Memphis, Tennessee.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.