Shane McAnally
Shane Lamar McAnally (born October 12, 1974) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. McAnally has written, and/or produced over 50 number one songs. Writing and producing for artists such as Kacey Musgraves, Sam Hunt, Kenny Chesney, Walker Hayes, Kelly Clarkson, Reba McEntire, Luke Bryan, Lady A, Keith Urban, Thomas Rhett, Brothers Osborne, Old Dominion, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Kelsea Ballerini, Midland, and more. He has received Billboard’s Trailblazer Award for his work both in country music and in championing voices in the LGBTQ community.
Shane McAnally
Shane Lamar McAnally
Shane Mack
October 12, 1974
Mineral Wells, Texas, United States
- Singer
- songwriter
- record producer
- 1999–2000
- 2005–present
From the early 2010s onward, McAnally has worked almost exclusively as a songwriter and producer, earning significant commercial and critical success. He has garnered three Grammy Awards, been nominated for more CMA Awards than any other songwriter in history and has been named ACM’s Songwriter of the Year twice. In 2023, he brought the Tony Award winning musical Shucked to Broadway – a production he wrote the music and lyrics for with his frequent collaborator Brandy Clark. Shucked was nominated for 9 Tony Awards in the 2023 season.
Personal life[edit]
McAnally told Yahoo! Entertainment in 2020 that he struggled with his sexuality for many years while working in Nashville, as he knew that no country music singers were openly gay at the time. At the time, he was dating a woman to whom he later came out, although he kept his orientation hidden from others and later referred to his girlfriend as a beard.[9] After exiting Curb in 2000, McAnally decided to come out while living in West Hollywood, California, a city he knew was more accepting of the gay community. He worked songwriter shows there and chose to return to Nashville due to his enjoyment of music.[9] McAnally received attention as a gay musician in 2013 when he co-wrote and co-produced "Follow Your Arrow" by Kacey Musgraves, a song which features a lyric in support of the gay community.[9]
McAnally married his partner of five years, Michael Baum, in September 2012. The couple have two children.[4] In January 2017, the two were legally married by Nashville Mayor Megan Barry.[10]