Biography
Terry McBride built three separate careers in country music, first as a supporting player, then as a composer, and later as a frontman. Born September 16, 1958, in Lampasas, Texas, not far from Austin, he grew up in rural surroundings. His father, Dale McBride, worked as a singer and songwriter who scored modest country success in the 1970s, reaching his highest chart position in 1976 with “Ordinary Man.” At nine, Terry received his first guitar from Dale, and after finishing high school he spent several years touring with his father’s band.
In the early 1980s he settled in Austin and established himself as a bassist, spending two years on the road with Delbert McClinton while also backing Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Lee Roy Parnell, and Rosie Flores.
McBride relocated to Nashville in 1989 to pursue songwriting. MCA Records Nashville executive Tony Brown admired both his voice and his material, then matched him with guitarist Ray Herndon and drummer Billy Thomas to create the trio McBride & the Ride. Their debut album, Burnin’ Up the Road, arrived in 1990, and the following year the track “Can I Count on You” became their first Country Singles chart entry, climbing to number 15. The group released three further albums and landed seven singles inside the Country Top 40, four of which reached the Top Five, before splitting in 1995.
Although McBride planned to launch a solo career, new songwriting opportunities intervened. The co-written “I Am That Man” became a major 1996 hit for Brooks & Dunn and marked the start of more than 25 songs he would supply to the duo. Over the next twenty years his compositions were recorded by Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Kenny Rogers, Hank Williams, Jr., John Anderson, and Gretchen Wilson.
McBride & the Ride reunited for a tour in 2000 and issued a fifth album, Amarillo Sky, in 2002 before parting ways again by the end of that year. At the urging of his longtime friend Delbert McClinton, McBride returned as a solo artist in 2017 with the six-song EP Hotels & Highways, released through MV2 Entertainment.
In the early 1980s he settled in Austin and established himself as a bassist, spending two years on the road with Delbert McClinton while also backing Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Lee Roy Parnell, and Rosie Flores.
McBride relocated to Nashville in 1989 to pursue songwriting. MCA Records Nashville executive Tony Brown admired both his voice and his material, then matched him with guitarist Ray Herndon and drummer Billy Thomas to create the trio McBride & the Ride. Their debut album, Burnin’ Up the Road, arrived in 1990, and the following year the track “Can I Count on You” became their first Country Singles chart entry, climbing to number 15. The group released three further albums and landed seven singles inside the Country Top 40, four of which reached the Top Five, before splitting in 1995.
Although McBride planned to launch a solo career, new songwriting opportunities intervened. The co-written “I Am That Man” became a major 1996 hit for Brooks & Dunn and marked the start of more than 25 songs he would supply to the duo. Over the next twenty years his compositions were recorded by Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Kenny Rogers, Hank Williams, Jr., John Anderson, and Gretchen Wilson.
McBride & the Ride reunited for a tour in 2000 and issued a fifth album, Amarillo Sky, in 2002 before parting ways again by the end of that year. At the urging of his longtime friend Delbert McClinton, McBride returned as a solo artist in 2017 with the six-song EP Hotels & Highways, released through MV2 Entertainment.
Albums
Singles
Live
