With supportive friends and family members looking on, McCoy received a “shadow box” full of memorabilia Monday afternoon during a dedication event at the Norman Activity Center. The box, which was hung inside the activity center, includes various photographs, a poster from a 1997 Neal McCoy and Friends Concert in Longview, and a bandana from one of McCoy's concerts.
The 53-year-old Jacksonville native said being chosen for the Wall of Fame was a “nice jester.”
“It's a big deal, being born and raised here,” he said shortly after the presentation, adding that Jacksonville is a “wonderful place of great memories.”
His mother, Virginia McCoy, who still lives in Jacksonville, said her son is entertaining wherever he goes, and she feels proud of his most recent honor.
His mother, Virginia McCoy, who still lives in Jacksonville, said her son is entertaining wherever he goes, and she feels proud of his most recent honor.
McCoy was born Hubert Neal McGaughey Jr. to a father of Irish descent and a Filipino mother, according to his biography on the Country Music Television website.
He graduated from Jacksonville High School in 1976 and went on to obtain an Associate of Arts degree from Lon Morris College in 1978. He then moved to Longview.
With a “rich baritone voice,” he started out professionally in an R&B band, his Country Music Television biography states, but he moved to country music, playing bars and clubs around Texas. He graduated from Jacksonville High School in 1976 and went on to obtain an Associate of Arts degree from Lon Morris College in 1978. He then moved to Longview.
In 1981, he won a talent contest and, thanks to help from Janie Fricke, who attended the contest, was able to go on tour as Charley Pride’s opening act.
He began pursuing his own recording career in 1988, when he released his debut single, “That’s How Much I Love You,” under the name Neal McGoy, according to his biography. He tailored it in 1990 when he released his debut album, “At This Moment”, the biography states.
McCoy is on the road 200 days a year doing concerts, but he said some of his favorite performances are those in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“There’s nothing like having the opportunity to entertain our soldiers,” he said.
In 2005, he released “That’s Life” on 903 Music, a label he co-founded, and reached the Top 20 with “Billy’s Got His Beer Goggles On.”
His new album, “XII”, is slated to be released March 6.
Aside from his music career, McCoy also helps critically ill children through his East Texas Angel Network.
He lives in Longview with his wife, Melinda, and his son, a senior at Spring Hill High School. He also has a daughter who lives in Henderson.
Wall of Fame chairwoman Nancy Washburn said McCoy was chosen for the honor because he “made it so big” and is from Jacksonville.
“He’s outstanding in his field,” she said. “We were just trying to find people from Jacksonville who had made a name for themselves.”
McCoy is the third honoree to be dedicated for the Wall of Fame, which was created in 2011 by the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce Blue Ribbon Committee. Country singer Lee Ann Womack and Dr. Cordell Adams, who practices in Dallas, were the first local celebrities to be honored.
The whole purpose of the wall, Ms. Washburn said, is to build community pride and let people know about the good things and good people that come out of Jacksonville.
“We just hope to see it grow. We know there are people out there and meet the criteria,” she said.
The committee’s goal is to have four dedications each year, Ms. Washburn said. It also plans to start taking nominations from the public.
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