Peter McCann
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Peter James McCann (March 6, 1948 – January 26, 2023) was an American songwriter, musician, lecturer, and songwriters' activist. He was known for writing successful pop-rock and country songs, including his 1977 solo hit " Do You Wanna Make Love", and "
Right Time of the Night "Right Time of the Night" is the title of a composition by Peter McCann, which became a top-ten hit single in 1977 via a recording by Jennifer Warnes. Composition Peter McCann would recall his inspiration for writing "Right Time of the Night": "I ...
" for Jennifer Warnes. At
Fairfield University Fairfield University is a private Jesuit university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1942. In 2017, the university had about 4,100 full-time undergraduate students and 1,100 graduate students, including full-time a ...
, he founded folk-rock group the Repairs, for which he served as guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist, and songwriter. He moved to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
in 1971 to record with the Repairs under the
Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
label, and then was signed to
ABC Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels bef ...
as a staff writer. McCann moved to
Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...
in 1987 and began a long career as a staff writer and occasional recording artist. McCann also spent upwards of 25 years lobbying for songwriters' rights in Washington, giving lectures on copyright law in several institutes of higher education across the United States. During his career, McCann had been signed as a recording artist to
Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
,
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...
, CBS Records and
RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...
. His songs have been recorded by
Lynn Anderson Lynn Renée Anderson (September 26, 1947 – July 30, 2015) was an American country singer and television personality. Her crossover signature recording, " Rose Garden," was a number one hit in the United States and internationally. She chart ...
,
Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...
, Karen Carpenter, Shaun Cassidy,
Crystal Gayle Crystal Gayle (born Brenda Gail Webb; January 9, 1951) is an American country music singer widely known for her 1977 hit "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". Initially, Gayle's management and record label were the same as that of her oldest sist ...
,
Mickey Gilley Mickey Leroy Gilley (March 9, 1936 – May 7, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he started out singing straight-up country and western material in the 1970s, he moved towards a more pop-friendly sound in the 19 ...
, Lee Greenwood,
Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Voice", she is Whitney Houston albums discography, one of the bestselling music artists ...
,
Julio Iglesias Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and former professional footballer. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top record ...
,
Jermaine Jackson Jermaine La Jaune Jackson (born December 11, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and bassist. He is best known for being a member of the Jackson family. From 1964 to 1975, Jermaine was second vocalist after his brother Michael of The Jackso ...
, Michael Johnson,
Nicolette Larson Nicolette Larson (July 17, 1952 – December 16, 1997) was an American singer. She is perhaps best known for her work in the late 1970s with Neil Young and her 1978 hit single of Young's " Lotta Love", which hit No. 1 on the Hot Adult Cont ...
,
Kathy Mattea Kathleen Alice Mattea (born June 21, 1959) is an American country music and bluegrass singer. Active since 1984 as a recording artist, she has charted more than 30 singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts, including four that reac ...
,
Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...
, Michael McDonald,
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,
Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter and actor. From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he bega ...
,
The Oak Ridge Boys The Oak Ridge Boys are an American country and gospel vocal quartet originating in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The group was founded in the 1940s as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular in Southern gospel during the 1950s. Their name was chang ...
, K.T. Oslin,
Donny Osmond Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, dancer, actor, television host, and former teen idol. He first gained fame performing with four of his elder brothers as the Osmonds, earning several top ten hits and go ...
,
Buck Owens Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), known professionally as Buck Owens, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He was the lead singer for Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, which had 21 No. 1 hits on ...
,
Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted mo ...
, Ricky Skaggs,
John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom '' Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes '' Carrie'' ( ...
,
Bobby Vinton Stanley Robert "Bobby" Vinton (born April 16, 1935) is a American former singer and occasional actor, who also hosted his own self-titled TV show in the late 1970s. As a teen idol, he became known as "The Polish Prince", as his music paid trib ...
,
Shelly West Shelly West (born May 23, 1958) is an American country music singer. Her mother was the country music star Dottie West, whose career spanned three decades. The younger West reached her peak in popularity during the 1980s before mostly retiring ...
, among others.


Early life

McCann was born in
Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequo ...
, on March 6, 1948. He was the son of Donald George McCann, the music minister, organist and choirmaster at St. James Roman Catholic Church in Stratford, Connecticut, and Amelia Teresa McCann (née Hennigan), a homemaker. McCann was of Irish, German, Eastern European, and Swedish descent. Donald, who held a master's degree in
Gregorian Chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe dur ...
, taught at Fairfield Woods Middle School in Fairfield, Connecticut, and his eight children, all of whom were members of his St. James church choir, rehearsed weekly and sang in Sunday services, weddings, and funerals. Amelia was a pianist and a good singer who knew how to read sheet music, though she scarcely played in the house.P. McCann, personal communication, December 21, 2022 The McCanns were raised
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
and received a Catholic education from Sacred Heart Grammar School in Bridgeport, taught by the
Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute had about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They a ...
. Peter went on to Notre Dame High School in Fairfield, taught by the
Holy Cross Fathers , image = Congregation of Holy Cross.svg , image_size = 150px , abbreviation = CSC , formation = , founder = Blessed Fr. Basile-Antoine Marie Moreau, C.S.C. , founding_location = L ...
, and graduated in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts in History at
Fairfield University Fairfield University is a private Jesuit university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1942. In 2017, the university had about 4,100 full-time undergraduate students and 1,100 graduate students, including full-time a ...
, a
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
-run institution, specializing in the history of
colonial America The colonial history of the United States covers the history of European colonization of North America from the early 17th century until the incorporation of the Thirteen Colonies into the United States after the Revolutionary War. In the ...
, the
Tudors The House of Tudor was a royal house of largely Welsh and English origin that held the English throne from 1485 to 1603. They descended from the Tudors of Penmynydd and Catherine of France. Tudor monarchs ruled the Kingdom of England and its ...
, and the first five emperors of Rome. In his freshman year at Fairfield University, McCann, a baritone, met fellow singers George Mathias, bass Emmett Kelly, and tenors Jim Higgins and Sebastian Fiori, all of whom joined the
Glee club A glee club in the United States is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs by trios or quartets. In the late 19th century it w ...
, with Jim taking the part sung by former member Michael McCann, Peter's older brother. At the time, it was rare for a freshman like Peter, attending Fairfield University on a scholarship, to make it into the
Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...
club as a freshman. The Glee club hosted several variety shows at which members alternated from barbershop quartet formation, the Bensonians, to a 12-man group, similar to the Yale
Whiffenpoofs The Yale Whiffenpoofs is a collegiate a cappella singing group. Established at Yale University in 1909, it is the oldest such group in the United States. The line-up is completely replaced each year: the group is always composed of rising senio ...
.


Career


The Repairs

Eventually, he met students Larry Treadwell, a
Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
-inspired electric guitarist, Jim Honeycutt, a folk guitarist and singer, and Mike Foley, a rugby player who had picked up the bass. Peter began writing songs, influenced by folk music the likes of the
Kingston Trio The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to the late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, ...
and the
skiffle Skiffle is a genre of folk music with influences from American folk music, blues, country, bluegrass, and jazz, generally performed with a mixture of manufactured and homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a form in the United State ...
music played by Easton, Connecticut native band the Jackson Pike Skifflers, led by his sister Katie's husband Will Tressler. Led by Peter as a songwriter, keyboardist, electric guitarist, and vocalist the students founded the folk-rock band the Repairs, which also featured drummer Timothy "Ace" Holleran and Jim's wife Sukie Honeycutt on vocals. In 1971, the band accidentally stumbled into
Andrew Loog Oldham Andrew Loog Oldham (born 29 January 1944) is an English record producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1967, and was noted for his flamboyant style. Early life Loog Oldha ...
, producer of
the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
, who got the band signed to
Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
and convinced the band to move to LA, where he produced two of their albums, ''Already A Household Word'' (1971) and ''Repairs'' (1972). During this time, Peter was continually writing songs, influenced by Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel, and
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
, amongst other. Torn between attending law school and pursuing a career as a songwriter, McCann's father assured him to follow his dream. One year after the release of the group's 1974 live album, ''Repairs Live'', McCann got signed to
ABC Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels bef ...
as a staff writer.


LA Years

After roughly a year without high-profile songs, McCann's prospects looked sour. However, his big break came when he wrote the song "
Right Time of the Night "Right Time of the Night" is the title of a composition by Peter McCann, which became a top-ten hit single in 1977 via a recording by Jennifer Warnes. Composition Peter McCann would recall his inspiration for writing "Right Time of the Night": "I ...
", personally chosen by infamous A&R man and former Columbia Records president Clive Davis as Jennifer Warnes’ debut single. It went on to chart #6 on the
Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streamin ...
, No. 1 on the Billboard
Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...
Chart, and No. 17 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It was the 34th highest song on the 1977 Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Chart, above "
Blinded by the Light "Blinded by the Light" is a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen, a which first appeared on his 1973 debut album ''Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.'' A cover by British rock band Manfred Mann's Earth Band reached number one on the ...
" by
Manfred Mann's Earth Band Manfred Mann's Earth Band are an English rock band formed by South African musician Manfred Mann. Their hits include covers of Bruce Springsteen's " For You", "Blinded by the Light" and "Spirit in the Night". After forming in 1971 and with a ...
and "
Dreams A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...
" by Fleetwood Mac. This success prompted his signing to 20th Century Fox Records, who released his self-penned single " Do You Wanna Make Love" in 1977. The single—produced by Hal Yoergler, Vice President of ABC Dunhill Music Publishing—was an international hit and sold over two million units. It reached No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 22 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. It was the 17th highest song on the 1977 Year-End Hot 100, eclipsing
Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...
' "
Hotel California "Hotel California" is the title track from the Eagles' album of the same name and was released as a single in February 1977. Writing credits for the song are shared by Don Felder (music), Don Henley, and Glenn Frey (lyrics). Joe Walsh came ...
" and Stevie Wonder's "
Sir Duke "Sir Duke" is a song composed and performed by Stevie Wonder from his 1976 album ''Songs in the Key of Life''. Released as a single in 1977, the track topped the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and Black Singles charts, and reached number two in the UK ...
". It also reached high chart positions in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. His 1977 debut album, ''
Peter McCann Peter James McCann (March 6, 1948 – January 26, 2023) was an American songwriter, musician, lecturer, and songwriters' activist. He was known for writing successful pop-rock and country songs, including his 1977 solo hit " Do You Wanna Make Lov ...
'', reached No. 82 on the
Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of ar ...
.


Nashville Years

In 1978
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
, now
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...
, purchased his contract from the Fox organization and began a fruitful, 20-year relation with him as a songwriter in
Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...
, Tennessee. When McCann first moved to Nashville, he didn't know how to read sheet music and had only written songs alone; he didn't know how to collaborate with others. He learned quickly enough through a process he dubbed “publisher cross-polarization,” writing with as many people as possible for profit, all “hoping St. Nicholas soon would be there” in the form of a hit song. McCann recalled all the writers had the attitude that they “knew how to write a song and didn't need to practice. If you didn't catch fire, we stopped, and didn't want to waste energy writing an insufficient song”. McCann first saw the value of collaboration after talking with
Walter Becker Walter Carl Becker (February 20, 1950 – September 3, 2017) was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the co-founder, guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter of the jazz rock band Steely Dan.Russonello, Giovanni,Listen t ...
of Steely Dan in the mid-70s; both signed to ABC at the time. Walter played him an original song, "Android Warehouse", and McCann asked him why he needed to write with his partner Donald Fagen, as the song was already good enough. Becker answered, “Well, he doesn't know how to start a song, and I don't know how to finish one!” The first songwriter he collaborated with was Richard Leigh, known for his
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
-winning
Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...
Song “
Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" is a song written by Richard Leigh, and recorded by American country music singer Crystal Gayle. It was released in June 1977 as the first single from Gayle's album '' We Must Believe in Magic''. Background " ...
” for
Crystal Gayle Crystal Gayle (born Brenda Gail Webb; January 9, 1951) is an American country music singer widely known for her 1977 hit "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". Initially, Gayle's management and record label were the same as that of her oldest sist ...
. Although the pair were both learned in composition and lyric-writing, Peter was more lyric-oriented, while Richard was more melody-oriented. They’d try writing something in the morning; if it were working, they’d have lunch and go back; if not, they’d go out to the bar and complete the next session. Eventually, publishers started telling him that he'd “forgotten how to write a bad song.” Nevertheless, Peter wanted to write great songs, as those were the ones that sold. The Leigh-McCann collaboration gleaned the country song “ Wall of Tears”, recorded by K.T. Oslin and later
Frances Black Frances Black (born 25 June 1960) is an Irish people, Irish singer and politician. She came to prominence in the late 1980s when she began to play with her family's band, The Black Family (band), the Black Family, performing a mix of Traditi ...
. Although it was only a moderate success on the US Country Charts, No. 40, it was huge in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, where it sold 1 million copies (out of a population of only 3.5 million). By this time, McCann was a successful Nashville songwriter. He had written 55 songs in his first year in Nashville. In a bar, he met
Harlan Howard Harlan Perry Howard (September 8, 1927 – March 3, 2002) was an American songwriter, principally in country music. In a career spanning six decades, Howard wrote many popular and enduring songs, recorded by a variety of different artists. C ...
, one of the most enduring and successful country songwriters of all time. Harlan told him he “needed to go back to LA,” saying, “every one of those chart positions is mine, and you're molestin’ my hunt.” Eventually, Harlan warmed up to him. Peter recalled Harlan told him that country music was “ three chords and the truth.” He joked that after much pleading, he convinced Harlan to let him add an extra chord to the song “All I Want for Christmas Is You” in 1982. McCann often joked that they wish you could copyright a song title, referencing Mariah Carey's hit single by the same name. McCann's hits in country music include the Grammy-nominated performance " She's Single Again" by
Janie Fricke Jane Marie Fricke ( ; born December 19, 1947), known professionally as Janie Fricke, is an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and clothing designer. She has placed seventeen Single (music), singles in the top ten of the ...
and the No. 1, "
Nobody Falls Like a Fool "Nobody Falls Like a Fool" is a song written by Peter McCann and Mark Wright, and recorded by American country music artist Earl Thomas Conley. It was released in September 1985 as the lead single from his ''Greatest Hits A greatest hits album ...
" by
Earl Thomas Conley Earl Thomas Conley (October 17, 1941 – April 10, 2019)Wood, Gerry. (1998). "Earl Thomas Conley". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 108. was an American country music singer-songwriter. Between ...
. In 1991, Baillie and the Boys had a hit with " Treat Me Like a Stranger". McCann also had a song on one of the largest selling female debut albums of all time (''
Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed " The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston i ...
'') when
Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Voice", she is Whitney Houston albums discography, one of the bestselling music artists ...
recorded his song "Take Good Care of My Heart". His song "The Star" appeared on
Kathy Mattea Kathleen Alice Mattea (born June 21, 1959) is an American country music and bluegrass singer. Active since 1984 as a recording artist, she has charted more than 30 singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts, including four that reac ...
's Grammy winning Christmas album. Isaac Hayes and
Millie Jackson Mildred Virginia Jackson (born July 15, 1944) is an American R&B and soul recording artist. Beginning her career in the early 1960s, three of Jackson's albums have been certified gold by the RIAA for over 500,000 copies sold. Jackson's songs o ...
took their hit duet version of "Do You Wanna Make Love" up the R&B chart. In 2012, McCann concluded a three-year contract with GrandVista Music in Nashville as a staff writer.


Songwriters' Rights Activism

Throughout his career McCann has been active for the rights of songwriters and publishers, lecturing for NSAI, SESAC, ASCAP, and BMI. He has also lectured at the
University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...
,
UC Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...
, George Washington University Law School,
University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...
Law School,
Belmont University Belmont University is a private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporated in 1951 as Belmont College. It be ...
and
Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...
, the latter at which he taught ''gratis'' music classes for the students. For the last 24 years, he has lobbied '' pro bono'' in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, on copyright issues. McCann is a past vice-president and board member of NSAI. Being influential in several PRO circles, McCann was among the people pushing for
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
to receive the
Nobel Prize for literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...
. He also pushed for Paul Simon to receive the honor. One time, Peter ran into Paul, inquiring on the fact that there had been legal action taken against him, to which he replied “you're nobody until somebody sues you."


Personal life and death

On the morning of January 26, 2023, McCann died in his sleep at his Nashville home. He was 74. McCann was survived by his wife and son.


Commendations

In 1995 he won NSAI's President's Choice award for his work in copyright protection. In May 1999, then Attorney General
Janet Reno Janet Wood Reno (July 21, 1938 – November 7, 2016) was an American lawyer who served as the 78th United States attorney general. She held the position from 1993 to 2001, making her the second-longest serving attorney general, behind only Wi ...
presented McCann with the Volunteerism Award from the
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a private, nonprofit organization established in 1984 by the United States Congress. In September 2013, the United States House of Representatives, United States Senate, and the Pres ...
, for composing "Among the Missing" as an anthem for the Center's free use. Alongside co-producers
George Massenburg George Y. Massenburg (born Baltimore, Maryland c. 1947) is a Grammy award-winning recording engineer and inventor. Working principally in Baltimore, Los Angeles, Nashville, and Macon, Georgia, Massenburg is widely known for submitting a paper ...
and Gary Paczosa, he produced the video, arranged the strings, and co-produced the recording of the song, performed by Michael McDonald and
Kathy Mattea Kathleen Alice Mattea (born June 21, 1959) is an American country music and bluegrass singer. Active since 1984 as a recording artist, she has charted more than 30 singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts, including four that reac ...
. In 1995, McCann released a Christmas album of his own compositions on RCA Records, of which one of the songs, "One Voice", received critical acclaim and a letter of commendation from
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
. In 2003, he won a special commendation from SESAC for his continuing efforts to strengthen the nation's copyright laws.


Discography


Albums


Singles

* *Record World Singles Chart.


Notable charted singles written by Peter McCann


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McCann, Peter 1948 births 2023 deaths American male pop singers Songwriters from Connecticut Musicians from Bridgeport, Connecticut Songwriters from New York (state) Fairfield University alumni American male songwriters