Mel McDaniel

Melvin Huston McDaniel (September 6, 1942 – March 31, 2011) was an American country music artist. Many of his top hits were released in the 1980s, including "Louisiana Saturday Night", "Big Ole Brew", "Stand Up", "Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On" (which reached number one on the country chart), "I Call It Love", "Stand on It", and a remake of Chuck Berry's "Let It Roll (Let It Rock)".

McDaniel's type of country music has been referred to as "the quintessential happy song" in comparison to other country artists who discuss broken hearts and lost loves. When asked why most of his songs were positive in their outlook, McDaniel told the Anchorage Daily News that "there's enough things in the world to keep you bummed out" and that his fans did not want to "hear me singing something that's gonna bum 'em out some more."

Biography Early life McDaniel was born in Checotah, a small town in McIntosh County, Oklahoma, and grew up in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. He was inspired to play music after seeing Elvis Presley on television. His first interest in music was when he learned the trumpet in the fourth grade, but he soon learned the guitar.

Later years, health, and death On November 14, 1996, he had a nearly fatal fall into an orchestra pit while he was performing at the Heymann Performing Arts Center in Lafayette, Louisiana. The accident ended his touring career, and he underwent several surgeries thereafter. McDaniel never fully recovered from his injuries. On June 16, 2009, McDaniel suffered a heart attack, putting him in a medically induced coma in a Nashville area hospital, according to The Tennessean. McDaniel's wife, Peggy, requested the prayers of the singer's fans, saying his situation was "not good." McDaniel recovered from the heart attack, but on February 19, 2011, he was diagnosed with lung cancer, and died at his home on the evening of March 31, as a result of the disease. He was 68 years old.

Discography

I'm Countryfied (1980)

Awards and nominations Grammy Awards 1986 "Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On" Best Male Country Vocal Performance American Music Awards 1987 Mel McDaniel Favorite Country Male Video Artist Music City News Country Awards 1986 "Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On" Single of the Year Academy of Country Music Awards 1978 Mel McDaniel Top New Male Vocalist

Single Record of the Year Song of the Year Country Music Association Awards

Mel McDaniel Horizon Award "Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On" Single of the Year