Jim McBride, a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member who wrote several iconic pieces of the country music songbook, died on Tuesday (Jan. 6), per WAFF 48. He was 78 years old.
He was perhaps best known for the songs he wrote for Alan Jackson. He and Jackson co-wrote both “Chattahoochee” and “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow.”
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The Alabama Music Hall of Fame announced McBride’s death in a statement on Wednesday (Jan. 7), writing, “Jim was a beloved Alabamian, songwriter, friend, mentor and so much more.”
His cause of death was not immediately available, nor was funeral information.
What Country Hits Did Jim McBride Write?
Hailing from Huntsville, Ala., McBride was a lifelong country fan whose favorite songwriters were Hank Williams and Don Gibson, according to a 2017 Billboard feature.
He began delivering country songs to Nashville in the 1970s, including several that The Hagers performed on Hee Haw. But those songs didn’t translate to commercial success for McBride, who spent years working in the U.S. Post Office and growing increasingly frustrated with the country music industry.
Just as he was considering giving up, Conway Twitty cut his song “A Bridge That Just Won’t Burn.” It was a hit on the country charts, peaking at No. 1 and winning the BMI Country Award in 1981.
From there, McBride was off to the races. More and more artists started cutting his songs, including Alabama, who included “Dixie Boy” as part of their 1983 The Closer You Get… album.
In the late ’80s, Waylon Jennings had a hit with the McBride-penned “Rose in Paradise,” George Jones cut “I’m a Survivor” and McBride wrote his first songs with Alan Jackson, a partnership that would produce his biggest hits.
“Chattahoochee” earned McBride a number of country music awards, including the ACM’s Single Record of the Year, ASCAP’s Country Award Song of the Year, the CMAs Single of the Year and more.
Other artists who cut McBride’s songs include Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire, Charley Pride, Randy Travis, Toby Keith, Travis Tritt, Keith Whitley, The Oak Ridge Boys and many more.
Per Music Row, he wrote or co-wrote 10 Top 10 hits over the course of his life, and 18 Top 40 hits.
McBride was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017, and into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame that same year. He also once served as the president of the board of the Nashville Songwriters Association.
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Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker
