"Playin' music is my favorite thing in the world," said McAnally. "And to be honored for that makes me one of the luckiest, happiest people alive."

After the celebration of CMA week comes to an end, McAnally is back to filling concert venues and pleasing fans, both with his own solo dates and as a member of Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band. Upcoming solo dates include special performances in Florida at the Snowflakes In The City Tree Lighting and Snowfall Ceremony in W. Palm Beach and in Miami at the NFL's Dolphins-Buccaneers game, as well as two performances in Mississippi next month.

And leading up to Thanksgiving, he continues on the road with Buffett including a stop at New York's Madison Square Garden. (See itinerary below.)

Named to the Songwriters' Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Mississippi Music Hall of Fame in 2008, McAnally has written six No. 1 singles in his career -- including "Down The Road," which topped the charts this spring. His amazing year continued as he went on to sign with Show Dog Nashville and released Down By The River in August, immediately drawing the kind of accolades you'd expect for a musician, producer and artist who's been sought out by the likes of Roy Orbison, Hank Williams, Jr., Amy Grant, Jimmy Buffett, Travis Tritt, Linda Ronstadt, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Dolly Parton and many more.

Mac McAnally:
Dec. 3 Lyric Theatre – Tupelo, MS
Dec. 4 Saenger Theatre – Hattiesburg, MS