Mel McDaniel

Mel McDaniel resolved to pursue music as a profession at the age of 14, prompted by an Elvis Presley broadcast on television. After building an initial following through performances in the bars and clubs of Tulsa, Oklahoma, he made a short visit to Nashville and then moved to Anchorage, Alaska. There McDaniel sharpened his songwriting and stage abilities, which enabled him to secure a Capitol recording contract immediately upon his 1976 return to Nashville. Early notice arrived with the single "Have a Dream on Me," yet his commercial ascent accelerated soon afterward, producing a steady run of country Top Ten singles that continued throughout the 1980s. The largest of those successes occurred in 1984 with "Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On," earning both Grammy and CMA nominations. McDaniel maintained an active schedule of live appearances through the 1990s and into the 2000s, most often at the Grand Ole Opry. A heart attack in 2009, followed by a period of treatment for cancer, preceded his death in March 2011.