Hawkins 1

Kelsey Hawkins
February 5, 2016
ENG 112-39
Professor I
Essay 1 Rough Draft
Tim McGraw
I had a barbeque stain on my white tee shirt. She was killing me in that miniskirt.
Those were the first lyrics from Tim McGraw I remember singing as a little girl in the car with
my mom. I grew up in Tennessee and the radio in our town use to always play songs by Tim
McGraw. My mom and I would sing all of his songs while cleaning the house or simply baking
cookies. Some of my favorites included Live Like You Were Dying and I Like it, I Love It.
McGraws catchy songs are what made me fall in love with country music. Tim McGraw is one
of the best artists in the country music industry. His songs didnt just make you want to dance,
but they told a story. As I got older, I was able to relate more to his songs and find the meaning
behind the lyrics. Just as Ive been through some rough spots in life, so has Tim McGraw.
Tim McGraw was born as Samuel Timothy Smith. He was raised by his mother, Betty
Smith, and who he thought was his father, Horace Smith. Tim would later find out that Horace
was not actually his biological dad. Tim grew up singing in church and in elementary school
plays. Horace Smith was a truck driver who would let Tim ride in the passenger seat of his truck.
They would both sing along to famous country artists on the radio. Tim also enjoyed playing
baseball and collecting cards. While Tim was in elementary school, his parents got a divorce.

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That resulted in a lot of moving. One day Tim came across his birth certificate. The space for the
babys father was marked out, but beside the word occupation was baseball player. Tim
asked his mom many questions about the birth certificate. She told him that the famous baseball
player, Tug McGraw, was his actual biological father. Tims mom drove him to Houston to meet
Tug. Tim was only 11 years old at the time. The relationship between him and his father had a
rocky start. Apparently Tug had a short fling with Tims mom, Betty, and he wanted nothing to
do with her. She then married a trucker, Horace Smith, while she was pregnant with Tim
(McKenna).
Tim later enrolled in Northeast Louisiana University. His freshman year he decided to
visit his father for a reunion in Jacksonville. His hope was to build a better relationship with his
dad. After the reunion, Tim traveled back to Louisiana. The first thing he did when he arrived
was that he bought his first guitar and changed his last name from Smith to McGraw (McKenna).
He would have no idea that those two things would change his life forever. After a year of
college, Tim dropped out of school and started playing at bars for money. Once he believed that
he got his name out, he packed his bags and went straight to Nashville.
When Tim arrived in Nashville with his good looks and black cowboy hat, he couldnt
help but to be noticed. He landed a record deal within one year with Curb Records in 1992. That
same year he released his first album, but it didnt get much attention. In 1994, McGraw released
his second album Not a Moment Too Soon. The song Indian Outlaw became a radio hit and
would be the start to writing more popular singles. Before he knew it, he was touring with other
famous country artists like Faith Hill and eventually asked her to marry him. They ended up
getting married in 1996 and had three daughters according to biography.com.

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Tim McGraw is truly one of the most successful country artists to this day. He shows his
emotions through his songs. His songs have very visual stories and most people can think of a
scenario in their life that can relate to it. Everything that happened to him in his life as a little boy
or college student is what inspires him to keep writing songs. From his outgoing personality on
stage to his unique country voice, he remains one of the most well-known country artists in the
United States. McGraw has continued to make new music for his fans since 1994 all the way to
now. His latest album that came out in 2015 is called Damn Country Music. Besides his great
new album, McGraw also has a few songs from the past that people still love to listen to.
According to cmt.com, Tim McGraws top ten songs are Dont Take the Girl, I Like It, I Love
It, Its Your Love, Everywhere, Something Like That, Red Rag Top, Real Good Man,
Live Like You Were Dying, and Feel Like a Rockstar. I have to admit that some of these are
my favorite and the local country radio station plays a couple of these songs throughout the
week.
Tim McGraw is a man that many people who have a passion for music look up to. For
example, one of Taylor Swifts first popular country songs was called Tim McGraw. The
website theboot.com writes about an interview with Taylor Swift. One of the quotes they have
from her says this, The concept for this song hit me because I was dating a guy who moved
away, and it was going to be over for us. So I started thinking of things that I knew would remind
him of me, she continues. The first thing that came to mind was that my favorite song is by Tim
McGraw. Swift was only 14 years old at the time of writing that song. She would then later in
life write more songs with McGraw that would be at the top of the charts.
Tim McGraw has won and been nominated for a numerous amount of awards throughout
his music career. With every acceptance speech he gives, more and more individuals are

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motivated to pursue their dreams of music. His life and songs reflect the kind of country man he
truly is. Hes one of the few country artists that have lasted as long as he has and every album he
releases shows his dedication to music. Tim McGraw will continue to write more songs that
people can sing along to in the car or learn to play on their guitar. He is a true icon for country
music.

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Works Cited
Biography.com Editors. "Tim McGraw Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d.
Web. 05 Feb. 2016. <http://www.biography.com/people/tim-mcgraw-9542412>.
McKenna, Dave. "The Singer's Home Run; Life Threw Tim McGraw a Curveball. He Turned it
into a String of Hits." The Washington Post: C01. May 15 1999. ProQuest. Web. 31 Jan.
2016.
Stephens, Samantha. "10 of Tim McGraw's Top 10's." News. N.p., 16 July 2014. Web. 05 Feb.
2016. <http://www.cmt.com/news/1729203/10-of-tim-mcgraws-top-10s/>.
Thompson, Gayle. "Taylor Swift's 'Tim McGraw' Is Released." The Boot. N.p., 19 June 2015.
Web. 05 Feb. 2016. <http://theboot.com/taylor-swift-tim-mcgraw-song/>.