Tried & true Texan, Music City hitmaker, frontman, and multi-instrumentalist are just a few of the monikers Terry McBride has worn in his decades-long chart-topping career.
A Lampasas, TX native, McBride spent his teenage summers on the road with his dad, the late Dale McBride, who was a recording artist with several Billboard charted singles. Terry traveled as part of his father’s band for three years before moving on to Austin to further pursue his musical career. He became a sought-after bass player in the local scene playing with Texas artists Lee Roy Parnell, Bill Carter & The Blame, Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Johnny Duncan, Rosie Flores, as well as a two-year stint with legendary Texas artist, Delbert McClinton.
In 1989, Terry left Austin for Nashville where the songs he had been writing found their way to MCA president Tony Brown, who would later go on to sign Terry to a recording contract with the label. The group McBride & The Ride was formed and would record four albums for MCA over the next five years. The trio racked up several top five singles including “Sacred Ground,” a # 1 single in 1992. McBride received two million air awards for his writing credits for “Just One Night” and “Going Out Of My Mind”. During that time, the band received CMA and ACM nominations for vocal group of the year before disbanding in 1995.
After his run with McBride & The Ride, Terry began to focus most of his attention on songwriting. Through the years his songs have been recorded by Garth Brooks, George Strait, Reba McEntire, Hank Williams Jr, Ronnie Dunn, Kix Brooks, Alan Jackson, Drake Milligan, Cole Swindell, Trace Adkins, Easton Corbin, Lost Frequencies, Kenny Rogers, Josh Gracin, John Anderson, Jim Lauderdale, Cody Johnson, Josh Ward, Ricky Van Shelton, Casey James, David Ball, Wade Hayes, George Ducas, Jack Ingram, Ricochet, Andy Griggs, Jason Michael Carroll, Gretchen Wilson, James Otto, Gord Bamford, George Canyon, Emerson Drive, Rosie Flores, Triston Marez, Kin Faux and Braxton Keith. Throughout his prolific career, he has had 13 BMI awards and 12 million airplay awards to his credit.
Through his many cuts as a writer, one artist, in particular, abounds in his catalog. Terry has had over 25 songs recorded by GRAMMY-winning duo Brooks & Dunn, including thirteen singles, four #1 songs, and five top-five singles. The band’s fastest-rising final #1 single, “Play Something Country,” was written by McBride and Dunn. Terry also co-wrote and produced the duo’s final single, “Honky Tonk Stomp,” featuring rock icon Billy Gibbons. Other notable singles include “Proud of The House,” “Cowgirls Don’t Cry,” featuring Reba McEntire, and the mega-hit “If You See Him/If You See Her,” also with Reba.
“If You See Him/If You See Her” served as the title track to each artist's respective 1998 albums (If You See Him for Reba, and If You See Her for Brooks & Dunn), and were both released on June 2 of that year. The albums debuted on the charts at #1 and #2, with Reba coming out on top, and the single went on to spend two weeks at #1. Ronnie and Terry struck gold yet again with Reba for the title cut and hit single “I Keep On Loving You” in 2009.
His diversity as a writer is evident through his cross-genre hits such as “Are You With Me,” originally recorded by Easton Corbin in 2012, the song went on to be remixed by Belgian DJ/Producer “Lost Frequencies” where it reached #1 on the pop charts in over 18 countries and top 5 in dozens of others. It entered the UK charts at #2 and the following week landed at #1 on the Top 40, Hot 100, Dance, Download, Sales and Streaming chart. To date the video has over 400 million views on YouTube and racked up over a billion streams.
In 2017, Terry stepped back into the spotlight with the EP Hotels & Highways, and began touring as a solo artist. Three years later he released his debut solo Album, Rebels & Angels, featuring Patty Loveless on the title cut co-written with Chris Stapleton. Delbert McClinton can also be found on the record on “Went For One,” the number one Red Dirt single, “Callin’ All Hearts,” the top 5 single “She Shows Up,” and “Corpus Christi Wind,” a charted single written and recorded by Terry’s father, Dale McBride, back in 1970.
In recent years Terry has celebrated multiple Texas #1 singles including “All About Lovin’” by Josh Ward (Chris Stapleton/Brice Long/Terry McBride), and “Wild Horses” with Kin Faux, which became Single Of The Year at the 2022 Texas Country Music Awards. That same year, he received the Trailblazer Award at the Texas Country Music Awards. The Texas Heritage Songwriters Association recently announced their class of 2024 and Terry will be inducted into the Texas Songwriters Hall of Fame along with Eric Johnson, Jack Ingram, Jon Randall and Ruthie Foster. The premier event takes place February 24th at the Austin City Limits Theater.
Terry continues to immerse himself in the Nashville writing scene, certified by his current climbing Top 40 single “Sounds Like Something I’d Do” with rising star and Stoney Creek recording artist, Drake Milligan. He continues to tour as a solo artist along with the recently reunited, McBride & The Ride, who are releasing new music for the first time in nearly two decades.
The band has released three singles from their forthcoming EP Marlboros & Avon. Their first, the title track “Marlboros & Avon,” is already top 40 on the MusicRow chart and has frequently been one of the most added tracks week after week. Sold-out performances at the Grand Ole Opry and Bridgestone Arena, with the Nashville Predators, affirm the trio is primed and ready for a comeback.
Texas grit, never-ending talent, and a smiling personality, of a man who never met a stranger, make up the incredibly prolific career of Terry McBride that spans 4 decades with hundreds of cuts, multiple #1 songs, and charting songs in hundreds of countries and 7 continents. If you see him, he’s most likely writing country’s next big hit, performing to sold-out crowds, or producing a world-class record in Nashville.
Share With Friends