Tim McGraw Brief History
McGraw's second album, "Not a Moment Too Soon", was much more successful, becoming best selling country album in 1994. Its first single, "Indian Outlaw", caused considerable controversy with claims that it presented Native Americans in a patronizing way manner. Some radio stations refused to play it, adding to the controversy. The issue only drew more attention spurring sales. The song became McGraw's first top ten country single (getting as high as #8) and reached #15 on the pop chart.
"Don't Take the Girl", the second single from the album, became McGraw's first #1 country hit. The following year, the album's title track became a #1 country single, while "Down on the Farm" reached number two. The album sold over 5 million copies, topping the Billboard 200 as well as the country album charts. McGraw won an Academy of Country Music awards for Album of the Year and Top New Male Vocalist in 1994.
In 1996, McGraw headlined the most successful country tour of the year, with Faith Hill as his supporting act. Engaged to her former producer, Scott Hendricks at the time."The Spontaneous Combustion Tour", turned out to be aptly named. Tim and Faith soon began dating resulting in Faith breaking off her engagement. McGraw and Hill ended up marrying in October 1996 during that tour. The couple have three daughters, Gracie Katherine (born 1997), Maggie Elizabeth (born 1998) and Audrey Caroline (born 2001).
McGraw's next album, 1997's "Everywhere", again topped the country charts and reached number two on the album charts, selling 4 million copies. The first single, "It's Your Love", a duet with Faith Hill, became the first single in twenty years to spend six weeks on top of Billboard's country singles chart. Five more singles from the album "Everywhere", "Where the Green Grass Grows", "One of These Days", "For a Little While", and "Just to See You Smile" reached the top of the country charts. "Just to See You Smile" set a new record by spending 42 weeks on the Billboard charts. The Country Music Association awarded "Everywhere" its Album of the Year award for 1997.
McGraw's streak continued with the release of the "A Place in the Sun" album in 1999. It debuted at the top of both the US pop and country album charts and sold three million albums. It featured another four chart topping singles on the country charts including "Please Remember Me", "Something Like That", "My Best Friend", and "My Next Thirty Years"; "Some Things Never Change" reached #7 on the country chart.
Tim McGraw released six more albums in the next six years. Each one topped the charts, going platinum with multi-million dollar sales. McGraw and Hill went out on tour together once again during this time period. They played to sellout crowds at every venue, including Madison Square Garden. Their 2000 tour was one of the top tours of any genre in the US and the leading country tour for the year.
In April 2006 McGraw and Hill began their 73-concert 55 city "Soul2Soul II Tour 2006", again to strong commercial acceptance. The tour grossed nearly $89 million and sold almost 1.1 million tickets, making it the top grossing tour in the history of country music. It was named "Major Tour of the Year" by Pollstar Magazine, beating out such headliners as Madonna and the Rolling Stones. The couple donated all of the profits from their performance in New Orleans to Hurricane Katrina relief.
McGraw released his eleventh album, Let It Go, in March of 2007. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart and #1 on the Billboard Country Album chart. Its debut single, "Last Dollar (Fly Away)", reached No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, marking Tim's first No. 1 single in three years.