A member of the Grand Ole Opry cast since 1986 and best known for his “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On,” singer and songwriter Mel McDaniel was born in Checotah, a town of about 3,000 population located south of Muskogee on September 9, 1942, but was raised in other Oklahoma communities such as Okmulgee and Tulsa. His first interest in music was when he learned the trumpet in the fourth grade, but soon learned the guitar. After seeing Elvis Presley on television, he decided to become a singer. He made his professional debut at age fifteen performing in a talent contest at Okmulgee High School. While in high school, Mel played in several local bands, and after graduation, began working as a musician in Tulsa clubs. While in Tulsa, he recorded several singles for local labels (J.J. Cale wrote and produced his first single, “Lazy Me”), but decided to leave Oklahoma and try his luck in other locations, first in Ohio and then in Nashville.
His acquaintance with record producer Johnny MacRae led to a recording contract with Capitol in 1976. During the next two years, he recorded several hits, such as “Have a Dream on Me,” “I Thank God She Isn’t Mine,” “All the Sweet,” “Soul of a Honky Tonk Woman,” and “Gentle on Your Senses (Easy on Your Mind),” which became the title track of his first album. During this time, he was on tour with his newly formed band, A Little More Country, and made several television appearances. Based on this early success, Mel was nominated in 1977 as Most Promising Male Vocalist by the ACM.
In 1978-79, Mel reached the Top 15 with “God Made Love,” and hit the charts with such singles as “Border Town Woman,” “Play Her Back to Yesterday,” “Loved Lies,” and “Lovin’ Starts Where Friendship Ends.” He also released his second album, Mello, in 1978.
Mel’s third album, I’m Countrified, produced the title track single that reached the Top 20 in 1981. This was followed by his most successful releases to date, “Louisiana Saturday Night” and “Right in the Palm of Your Hand,” both of which hit the Top 10. To round out the year, “Preaching up a Storm, reached the Top 20.
In 1982-83 McDaniel released his fourth and fifth albums, Take Me to the Country and Naturally Country with the title track of the former hitting the Top 10. It was followed by several other Top 20 singles, including “Big Ole Brew,” “I Wish I Was in Nashville,” “Old Man River (I’ve Come to Talk Again),” and “I Call It Love.”
Mel McDaniel achieved a #1 hit in 1984 with “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On” from his Let It Roll album. The song stayed on the charts for twenty-eight weeks and garnered Mel several honors, including nominations for CMA Horizon Award and Single of the Year (1985), as well as a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance-Male. His 1985 output included the singles, “Let It Roll (Let It Rock)” and “Stand Up,” both of which charted in the Top 10.
During the late 1980s, Mel scored hits as “Shoe String,” “Stand on It” (his version of the Bruce Springsteen hit), “Real Good Feel Good Song,” “Ride This Train,” Henrietta,” “You Can’t Play the Blues (In an Air-Conditioned Room),” and “Walk That Way.” Capitol Nashville released Rock-A-Billy Boy (1989), a ten track CD, including “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Oklahoma Shines.”
By the 1990s, Mel was still on the road with his six-piece band, Oklahoma Wind, completing some 200 dates a year. He also began performing at theaters in Branson, Missouri, and, after his break with Capitol Records in 1990, he signed with Intersound’s new label, Branson Entertainment.
McDaniel’s songwriting career is worthy of note. Fellow Oklahoman Hoyt Axton was the first to record one of his songs with “Roll Your Own,” a hippie anthem later recorded by Commander Cody, Arlo Guthrie, and the Poodles. Recorded by Conway Twitty, Mel’s “Grandest Lady of Them All” was used for the Grand Finale on the Grand Ole Opry’s nationally televised 60th anniversary special. Additional artists who recorded Mel’s songs include Kenny Rogers and Johnny Rodriguez, Earl Scruggs, and Doug Kershaw. In the mid-1990s, Mel was honored with a star in the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Walkway of Stars.
Mel lives in the Nashville area with Peggy, his wife, and occasionally graces the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, performs on selected dates around the country, and enjoys practicing his hobby of fishing. In 2002, Mel received the Cherokee Medal of Honor on October 26 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and in 2005 Stand Up Records released Mel’s latest collection of songs with Oklahoma Wind, Reloaded, capping 30 notable years in the country music industry.