Biography
The country-rock outfit McGuffey Lane originated when guitarists Terry Efaw and Steve Reis, previously performing as the duo Scotch & Soda, recruited lead vocalist and acoustic guitarist Bobby Gene McNelly. They adopted the new name McGuffey Lane from a street in Athens, OH, where Reis resided. Keyboardist Tebes Douglass, drummer Dick Smith, and guitarist John Schwab—who had previously opened for the trio—later joined, expanding the lineup to a sextet.
Regular appearances at a Columbus venue helped cultivate a loyal regional audience across Ohio. After an unsuccessful push for a Nashville contract and a self-released effort on their Paradise Island imprint that moved 40,000 units, the group finally attracted label interest once Alabama achieved similar success. This led to a deal with the major pop imprint Atco. In 1980 the band reissued their earlier album, embarked on tours alongside acts such as Charlie Daniels and the Allman Brothers, and scored their initial pop-chart entry with the single “Long Time Lovin’ You.” Aqua Dream arrived late that year and yielded the modest pop success “Start It All Over.”
Their debut country-charting track, “Making a Living’s Been Killing Me,” climbed into the Top 50. A smaller country hit followed in 1983, coinciding with the release of their third album, Let the Hard Times Roll. Seeking stronger country-focused promotion, the band switched to Atlantic. While completing Day by Day, Douglass died in a car accident; the finished record was dedicated to his memory and spawned the mid-charting singles “Day by Day” and “The First Time.” At year’s end McNelly departed to pursue full-time songwriting in Nashville, yet in early 1987 he fatally shot his fiancée before taking his own life.
As country-rock lost favor by the mid-1980s, Atlantic dropped the group. McGuffey Lane continued performing live and issued a 1986 Christmas album benefiting the Central Ohio Lung Association. A Miller Beer sponsorship later that year sparked an attempted resurgence that ultimately stalled, leading to a breakup by 1990. Five years afterward, the appearance of Greatest Hits Live & More inspired a reunion; under the leadership of Schwab and Efaw the band resumed dozens of annual shows throughout the Ohio Valley. They recorded the studio album Call Me Lucky in 1998 and followed it with the all-acoustic Wood in 2002. The reunion persisted at a steadier pace over the ensuing decade, culminating in the 2010 release of 10.
Regular appearances at a Columbus venue helped cultivate a loyal regional audience across Ohio. After an unsuccessful push for a Nashville contract and a self-released effort on their Paradise Island imprint that moved 40,000 units, the group finally attracted label interest once Alabama achieved similar success. This led to a deal with the major pop imprint Atco. In 1980 the band reissued their earlier album, embarked on tours alongside acts such as Charlie Daniels and the Allman Brothers, and scored their initial pop-chart entry with the single “Long Time Lovin’ You.” Aqua Dream arrived late that year and yielded the modest pop success “Start It All Over.”
Their debut country-charting track, “Making a Living’s Been Killing Me,” climbed into the Top 50. A smaller country hit followed in 1983, coinciding with the release of their third album, Let the Hard Times Roll. Seeking stronger country-focused promotion, the band switched to Atlantic. While completing Day by Day, Douglass died in a car accident; the finished record was dedicated to his memory and spawned the mid-charting singles “Day by Day” and “The First Time.” At year’s end McNelly departed to pursue full-time songwriting in Nashville, yet in early 1987 he fatally shot his fiancée before taking his own life.
As country-rock lost favor by the mid-1980s, Atlantic dropped the group. McGuffey Lane continued performing live and issued a 1986 Christmas album benefiting the Central Ohio Lung Association. A Miller Beer sponsorship later that year sparked an attempted resurgence that ultimately stalled, leading to a breakup by 1990. Five years afterward, the appearance of Greatest Hits Live & More inspired a reunion; under the leadership of Schwab and Efaw the band resumed dozens of annual shows throughout the Ohio Valley. They recorded the studio album Call Me Lucky in 1998 and followed it with the all-acoustic Wood in 2002. The reunion persisted at a steadier pace over the ensuing decade, culminating in the 2010 release of 10.
Albums
