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Red Bay's Mac McAnally earns CMA Award

By Mary Colurso -- Birmingham News

Look closely at the CMA Award winners, Alabama music fans. A native of Red Bay, Mac McAnally, was named musician of the year...

McAnally, 51, is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and longtime member of Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band. He keeps a recording studio in the Shoals, has 10 solo albums to his credit and performs here occasionally, with Buffett and as a solo act.

But McAnally didn't pick up his trophy during the Wednesday awards ceremony broadcast live on ABC. Two awards were handed out during a pre-show event: one to McAnally and one to Robert Plant, for his duet with Alison Krauss on the song "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)." It was named CMA music event of the year.

This was McAnally's first CMA win, although he was nominated for the same award last year. He's a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and wrote Kenny Chesney's latest hit, "Down the Road." He was Chesney's duet partner for that single, and can be heard on the album "Lucky Old Sun."

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