MAIN Pop Culture Country Music   Tim McGraw

Born Samuel Timothy McGraw on May 1, 1967 in Delhi, Louisiana, Tim McGraw is the multiple award-winning country music artist most famous for his trademark hits "Something Like That", "Indian Outlaw" and "Live Like You Were Dying", as well as his celebrity marriage to fellow country music star Faith Hill.

In addition to reaching superstardom on the country music stage, the ruggedly handsome singer has also ventured into acting and most recently starred on the big screen in Flicka in 2006.

Early Years

McGraw grew up in Start, Louisiana believing that his stepfather, Horace Smith, was his birth father — only to find out at age 11 that his real father was none other than New York Mets pitcher Tug McGraw.

Tim had been born following a brief affair between the famous baseball player and his mother, waitress Betty D'Agostino, in 1966. Although Tug McGraw initially refused to acknowledge him as his son, as Tim grew older his resemblance to his father resulted in the two forming a warmer relationship which they sustained until Tug McGraw's death in 2004.

Following graduation from Northeast Louisiana University (during which McGraw learned guitar and played in a local band) he made his way to Nashville to launch his music career.

Music Career

His first self-titled album released in 1992 was a minor success, but two years later McGraw had his first No. 1 hit in "Don't Take the Girl" from his second album "Not a Moment Too Soon". The album later went on to sell in the millions, earning McGraw top accolades at the ACM Awards for Album of the Year and Top New Male Vocalist.

With stardom assured, McGraw built upon his new-found success in 1995 with "All I Want" which debuted as No. 1 on the country music charts spinning off such hits as "I Like It, I Love It" and "She Never Lets It Go to Her Heart".

The following year, he was part of the most successful country tours ever when he headlined the Spontaneous Combustion Tour with future wife Faith Hill. The country music couple later married on October 6, 1996.

McGraw's next album "Everywhere" topped the charts in 1997 featuring the newlywed's their first duet, "It's Your Love" which remained No. 1 for a solid six weeks on the country music charts. That same year "Everywhere" was honored as Album of the Year at the CMA Awards.

Closing out the decade McGraw continued to top the charts and recorded two more duets with his wife, "Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me" and "Let's Make Love", the later receiving a Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Collaboration in 2000.

Most recent hits continue to catapult McGraw's reputation as a crowd pleaser, including more No. 1 hits from albums such as "Set This Circus Down" (2001), "Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors" (2002), and "Live Like You Were Dying" (2004).

In 2006, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill hit the road on their Soul2Soul II Tour selling over a million tickets in what remains the highest grossing ($89 million) tour in country music history.

His most recent collection of country hits, "Let It Go", was released in 2007 and debuted at the top of the charts, marking his 9th No. 1 country album.

Tim McGraw on the Web:

Tim McGraw.com - The official site with the latest news & updates, bio, tour dates, photos, streaming music videos & clips, online store.

CMT.com - Tim McGraw - Complete bio, tour dates, picture gallery, videos, song lyrics, fan message boards, CMT appearances, related links & resources.

MySpace.com - Tim McGraw - Photos, videos, news & information on latest album releases, complete tour date schedule.

Tim McGraw - People.com - News, feature stories, profile, vital stats & fun facts, pictures, early childhood photos.

Billboard.com - Biography - Tim McGraw - His rise to fame, career highlights, discography, chart history and current tour dates.