Neal McCoy Finds a Home on the Road

By Ronna Rubin

Neal McCoy enjoys plaing at the Hodag Country Festival. The festival will be the backdrop for his concert special, Neal McCoy Live, airing 9 pm EDT Monday July 17.

July 3, 2006--"This is our favorite place to play in the whole United States," country star Neal McCoy says of the Hodag Country Festival, an annual summer event in Rhinelander, Wisc. So it makes sense he picked the festival to be the backdrop for his concert special, Neal McCoy Live, airing at 9 pm Monday, July 17 ET. A DVD of the special will be featured throughout the month on the network's On The Streets.

Long known for his high-energy live show--one that includes a nightly climb to the top of the speaker stacks--McCoy finds that life on the road suits him perfectly. "This whole deal of being out here and working this road ... it can be a grind," he explains in the special. "But I love it; I love all of it. I don't go back to the hotel and stay there until showtime. I like being a part of it."

The east Texas resident has sold a few million records, courtesy of hits like "Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On," "The Shake" and "Wink" and credits his supportive family for allowing him to pursue his greatest passion.

"You know the old saying of 'You can't have your cake and eat it, too?' Well, you can if you're lucky," he says. "I've got a family that somehow developed the patience and understanding of what I do, and they know the passion and the love I have for what I do. They know that if I were to ever quit I'd be miserable."

That family is wife Melinda, 19-year-old daughter Miki, and 11-year-old son Swayde.

Another passion of McCoy's is helping others. He and Melinda created the East Texas Angel Network 11 years ago to assist children in their home area. The nonprofit organization helps to cover expenses incurred when a child is battling a life-threatening illness.

"So many times when someone is given the news that someone they love has a life-threatening illness, people will start right then to raise money to help the family," McCoy explains. "We thought that it would be a really great deal if we raised the money and put it into a fund where that money would already be there if someone needed it."

To date the organization has raised a more than $3 million, with 88 percent of it going directly to families in need as of last year. The 47-year-old McCoy received the Academy of Country Music Award's Humanitarian Award for his efforts to help others.

Touring dates for Neal McCoy:

July 8, WGNA Country Fest, Altamont, N.Y.

July 9, Hickory Hills Lake, Fort Loramie, Ohio

July 13, Franklin County Fair, Hampton, Iowa

July 14, Hodag Country Fair, Rhinelander, Wis.

July 15, Crawford County Fair, Cuba, Mo.

July 16, Jamboree In the Hills, Morristown, Ohio

July 21, Linn County Fair, Albany, Ore.

July 22, Jackson County Fair, Central Point, Ore.

July 23, Liberty Theatre, Astoria, Ore.

July 26, Hat Stampede Grounds, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada

July 28, Teton County Fair, Jackson, Wyo.

July 29, Lyon County Fair, Yerington, Nev.

July 30, Stanislaus County Fair, Turlock, Calif.

Aug. 3, Big Valley Jamboree, Camrose, Alberta, Canada

Aug. 4, Exhibition Grounds, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Aug. 5, Prairie Knights Casino, Fort Yates, N.D.

Aug. 12, Garfield County Fairgrounds, Rifle, Colo.

Aug. 15, Northwest Montana Fair, Kalispell, Mont.

Aug. 17, Brown County Fair, Aberdeen, S.D.

Aug. 19, Riverboat Days, Rising Sun, Ind.

Aug. 20, Darke County Center, Greenville, Ohio

Aug. 23, Six Flags New England, Agawam, Mass.

Aug. 25, Dutchess County Fair, Rhinebeck, N.Y.

Aug. 26, Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Conn.

Aug. 31, Nebraska State Fair, Lincoln, Neb.

Sept. 1, DuQuoin State Fair, DuQuoin, Ill.

Sept. 2, HD Spokes, North Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Sept. 9, Clay County Fair, Spencer, Iowa

Sept. 15, Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa

Sept. 20, Tuscarawas County Fair, Dover, Ohio

Sept. 29, Globe News Center, Amarillo, Texas

Sept. 30, Heart Of Texas Coliseum, Waco, Texas

Oct. 6, Mississippi Coliseum, Jackson, Miss.

Oct. 7, Alabama National Fair, Montgomery, Ala.

Oct. 9, Fairfield County Fairgrounds, Lancaster, Ohio

Oct. 11, Cumming Country Fair, Cumming, Ga.

Oct. 13, Leelanau Sands Casino, Suttons Bay, Mich.

Oct. 14, Mohican North Star Casino, Bowler, Wis.

Oct. 19, Franklinton Fair Grounds, Franklinton, La.

Nov. 3-4, Northern Lights Casino, Walker, Minn.

Nov. 24, Oil Palace, Tyler, Texas

Dec. 9, Cypress Gardens, Cypress Gardens, Fla.

(Ronna Rubin, a 21-year veteran of the music industry, can be contacted at ronna@gacmusicbeat.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)