Jim McBride, Legendary Songwriter Behind Hits Like “Chattahoochee” And “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow,” Passes Away At 78

Terrible news to start off the year.

Jim McBride, a legendary country music songwriter and member of Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, has died at the age of 78, according to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.

McBride was a native of Huntsville, Alabama, who started writing songs as a child and began pursuing songwriting as a full-time career by the age of 18.

In the 1970s, he discovered a mentor in fellow Alabama native and legendary songwriter Curly Putnam, and even had some songs featured on the classic television series Hee Haw. But he eventually grew frustrated with his lack of success and decided to give up on songwriting as a career, instead going to work for the US Postal Service.

But in 1980, he got his first real break when Conway Twitty recorded “A Bridge That Just Won’t Burn,” a song penned by McBride and Roger Murrah. He had told Murrah that he would move to Nashville if somebody recorded the song, and as McBride later recalled:

“Roger called me one night and said ‘I guess you need to pack your bags, we’ve got Conway’s next single.’ I quit the post office the day after Christmas.”

His first #1 hit would come in 1981 with “Bet Your Heart on Me,” which was recorded by Johnny Lee, and in 1987 Waylon Jennings scored yet a #1 hit with “Rose In Paradise,” co-written by McBride and Stewart Harris.

His life (and career) changed, though, when he met Alan Jackson in 1988. Jackson was a new artist in Nashville, still two years away from releasing his debut album, but the two became frequent collaborators, writing songs together like “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow,” “Someday,” “A House With No Curtains,” “(Who Says) You Can’t Have It All,” and of course one of Jackson’s biggest hits, “Chattahoochee.”

Over the course of his legendary career, McBride wrote songs for everybody from Keith Whitley and John Anderson to Reba McEntire and Alabama. And his accomplishments earned him induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017, along with multiple CMA and ACM Awards.

After his death, the Alabama Music Hall of Fame shared a tribute to McBride:

“Jim was a beloved Alabamian, songwriter, friend, mentor, and so much more. He is perhaps most widely recognized for his work with Alan Jackson, including co-writing the country hits “Chattahoochee” and “Chasing That Neon Rainbow.”
Jim’s songs have been recorded by legends such as Johnny Cash, George Jones, Reba McEntire, Alabama, Willie Nelson, Charley Pride, Kris Kristofferson, Randy Travis, Brenda Lee, Jerry Lee Lewis, Toby Keith, Dwight Yoakam, and many more.

His honors include a CMA Song of the Year Award, numerous accolades from ASCAP, BMI, NSAI, NARAS, CMA, AMA, ACM, Billboard Magazine, his induction into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, and his induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

We will greatly miss Mr. McBride—may his legacy live on forever.”

Of course the song that McBride was asked most frequently about in interviews was “Chattahoochee,” not just because it was a massive hit but because many people at the time it was released had no idea what a “Chattahoochee” even was.

(For those of you that don’t know, it’s actually a river that runs across northern Georgia, along the Georgia/Alabama border, and down into Florida).

And the song actually came about because Alan is from Georgia, and McBride is from Alabama – so he knew Alan would know the Chattahoochee when he pitched him the idea:

“Alan’s hometown of Newnan is relatively close to the Chattahoochee River, so I knew he would be familiar with it. So I started just fooling with the guitar and I got the first two lines and a little melody…

He spit out the next two lines almost immediately. They just came right out.”

But there’s one line in particular that McBride says fans always ask about:

“We got so many phone calls that Alan got tired of them, and he said, ‘Call Jim.’ So I’m getting phone calls from all over the country wanting to know what a hoochie coochie is.”

I mean, I could take a wild guess, but surely Alan isn’t singing about what I think he’s singing about, right?

Well McBride actually cleared it up for all of us who have been singing the song for 30 years with no idea what it actually meant:

“A county fair strip show.”

What a legend. Rest in peace, Jim McBride.The post Jim McBride, Legendary Songwriter Behind Hits Like “Chattahoochee” And “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow,” Passes Away At 78 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.