Took a chance and it paid off.
As one of the newest inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Tim McGraw has had a legacy in the genre that few can ever dream of. Scoring 49 #1s hits, 13 #1 albums, 21 ACM Awards, 11 ACM Awards and 3 Grammys, the “My Best Friend” singer is undoubtedly one of the most highly-decorated artists in the genre’s history.
With nearly four decades worth of hits at this point, ranging from “Something Like That” and “Just to See You Smile” to modern hits like “Humble and Kind” and “Live Like You Were Dying,” it’s hard to imagine McGraw as anything other than a staple in the genre.
Like any legend in the genre, there was a time when the “Don’t Take the Girl” singer wasn’t a household name but rather just another green, up-and-comer who was trying to do anything to land a record deal down in Music City.
As he’s stated multiple times in the past, and most notably during his recent Hall of Fame induction acceptance speech, McGraw famously arrived in Nashville in the middle of the night on May 9, 1989, the same day Keith Whitley died. Less than a year later, in 1990, the Louisiana native would sign his first record deal with Curb Records.
During a recent conversation with entrepreneur, investor and author, Tim Ferriss’ podcast, the Hall of Fame inductee revealed that the steps leading up to the deal with Curb Records were about as unconventional as they come. In fact, he actually got the deal in under three minutes.
As the story goes, McGraw was actually on the radar of Mike Borchetta, the late, great vice president of promotions at Curb, thanks to a connection with his father and former MLB all-star, Tug McGraw. After getting Borchetta’s number through Bruce Wendell, McGraw would try tirelessly to call and set up a meeting with the vice president.
Being frustrated with the lack of a response, McGraw decided to take it upon himself to talk to Borchetta directly. During Fan Fair, which was an early version of what’s now known as CMA Fest, the “Everywhere” singer decided to march right into his office to talk it out with him, three-song demo in hand.
“I decided I was gonna go by Curb Records and see if Mike Borchetta’s in his office. I walk past the secretary, ’cause I saw he was in his office. And I walked past the secretary, and she goes, ‘Excuse me?’ And I said, ‘I’m just gonna say hi to Mike.'”
After introducing himself to Borchetta, the Curb Records VP would tell McGraw to leave his demo on the desk and they’d talk next week. Not taking no (or next week) for an answer, McGraw would insist that he at least listen to part of a song from the demo. After some convincing, Borchetta fired up the first song from the collection — the rest was history.
As the now 58-year-old singer/songwriter recalls, Borchetta was halfway through the first track and immediately offered him a record deal on the spot.
“He put the song in. And halfway through the first one, he goes, ‘You got a record deal, kid!’ That’s how I got a record deal.”
Of course, it wasn’t exactly that simple. Though he was offered the record deal, it didn’t fully come to fruition ’til months afterward.
“It was convoluted after that, but I got a record deal. I got my foot in the door, so it started from there.”
Following the conversation, McGraw would officially sign on to Curb Records on October 22, 1990, and release his first single under the label, “What Room Was the Holiday In” on March 29, 1991. He would stay at Curb all the way until 2011, after a short-lived legal battle over the recording of his 2012 album, Emotional Traffic, dampened their three-decade relationship. During his time at Curb Records, however, McGraw would release a bulk of his greatest hits including the likes of “Don’t Take the Girl,” “Live Like You Were Dying,” “Something Like That,” “I Like It, I Love It” and many more — all because of that fateful day in Borchetta’s office.
Listen to the full podcast here:
Pawn Shop Guitar Tour Dates
July 9, 2026 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts *
July 10, 2026 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center *
July 11, 2026 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium *+≠^
July 16, 2026 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre *
July 17, 2026 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center *
July 18, 2026 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake *
July 23, 2026 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion *
July 24, 2026 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater *
July 25, 2026 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center *
July 30, 2026 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park *+≠^
July 31, 2026 – Syracuse, NY – Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview *
August 1, 2026 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater*
August 6, 2026 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach *
August 7, 2026 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek *
August 8, 2026 – Daniel Island – Charleston, SC – Credit One Stadium ^
August 13, 2026 – Birmingham, AL – Coca-Cola Amphitheater *
August 14, 2026 – Charlotte, NC – Truliant Amphitheater (PNC Music Pavilion) *
August 15, 2026 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live *
August 21, 2026 – Kansas City, MO – Morton Amphitheater
August 22, 2026 – East Troy, WI – Alpine Valley Music Theatre *
August 23, 2026 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Field *+≠^
August 27, 2026 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center *^
August 28, 2026 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre *
August 29, 2026 – Grand Rapids, MI – Acrisure Amphitheater *
September 10, 2026 – Austin, TX – Moody Center *^
September 11, 2026 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion *^
September 12, 2026 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP *
September 17, 2026 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
September 18, 2026 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center *
September 19, 2026 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre *
September 24, 2026 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
September 25, 2026 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre *
September 26, 2026 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre *
* 49 Winchester
+ The Chicks
≠ Lady A
^ Timothy Wayne
