Tim McGraw is one of the most popular and long-lived country artists on the charts today. Born in Louisiana, McGraw grew up as an active, athletic kid, unsurprising given that his father was a relief pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. While studying sports medicine at Northeast Louisiana University, he fooled around in a few bands but didn’t really make a serious stab at pursuing a musical career until 1989, when the death of country music bad boy Keith Whitley caused him to reconsider his future.

Through a connection of his father’s he managed to score a deal with Curb Records the following year, but his first record failed to set the world on fire. Still, he persevered and was rewarded with his second effort Not a Moment Too Soon. Released in 1994, the album would define McGraw’s status as part of a new breed of country stars who could not only appeal to traditional fans of that music but also create music that was universal enough to receive popular attention. “Don’t Take the Girl”, which hit number one on the country charts, and “Indian Outlaw” both crossed over to the top 20 on the pop charts. Three more top five singles established McGraw as one of country music’s brightest lights and helped propel Not a Moment Too Soon on its way to becoming the best selling country album of 1994.

Not one to disappoint his fans, McGraw’s success continued with the release of his next two albums, All I Want and Everywhere in 1995 and 1997, respectively. Both of these records would match the success of Not a Moment Too Soon in both the country and pop arenas, and McGraw managed to create a further media storm with a highly publicized marriage to country diva Faith Hill in 1996. McGraw rode out the 90’s by collaborating with his wife on the track “Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me” in 1998 and going triple platinum in 1999 with his number one album A Place In The Sun.

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