NEAL MCCOY MAKES A BIG IMPRESSION; SINGER WHO LIKES TO ROCK HIS AUDIENCE INVITED BACK TO FAIR

ByliJULIE BOLLMAN

Neal McCoy likes to make a good impression.

"I'm not real good at holding back," said the 34-year-old country singer who loves to stir up an audience.

"I like to make them laugh, think, cry, and leave them physically and emotionally drained but happy, because that's the way I leave every show."

McCoy will make his second appearance in Cape Girardeau tonight at the SEMO District Fair. He loved performing at the fair last year, and asked to come back.

"I love outdoor concerts like the fair," he said in a telephone interview from his home in Longview, Texas. "It's because you get a lot of families into it. We try to have a lot of fun at our shows."

McCoy's second album, "Where Forever Begins," was the follow up to his 1990 debut album, "At This Moment." Hits include "Now I Pray For Rain" and "Palm of My Hand."

McCoy insists he hasn't reached the kind of stardom he wants yet. So he's concentrating on having fun, especially on stage.

He and his band have been touring since June. McCoy said life on the road is hard, but he makes up for it by cutting loose during performances.

"I live for the stage and I try to get the crowd in touch with me and my music," he said. "The hour or hour and a half that I'm performing is what I live for."

He said he doesn't usually plan his shows. Rather, he and the other band members play whatever feels right. And if they start a song and halfway into it realize it's not flowing, he doesn't hesitate to stop and try a different song.

"I'll just quit and try something else," he said. "I just look at the audience and say `this isn't working.' It's all done in such a way that they know we're having fun."

There are some favorites that are part of every show, he said.

"There are three or four songs I really like to do every night," he said. "Other than that we just kind of wing it."

He's been known to throw in a 50s tune occasionally, or even a pop number.

McCoy has been working for years to get to the top of the country charts. He grew up in Jacksonville, Texas, where he was surrounded by music.

He sang in school musicals, gospel quartets, choirs and clubs. At age 20, he turned professional, playing primarily in clubs. The combination of a great voice and an energetic stage performance got McCoy noticed, and it was during a talent show that he got his big break.

Charley Pride's agent heard him sing at the contest finals and arranged for him to meet with Pride. He later became Pride's opening act. McCoy said Pride taught him to be relaxed on stage and to be himself.

It's that type of on-stage presence that has made him a star on the country scene. It's a scene that's changed over the years though.

"It's no longer the wining, drinking, cheating type of music that it used to be," said McCoy, explaining how country has crossed lines and made a sort of comeback to appeal to a wider range of listeners.

The popularity of country music helps young artists like McCoy get noticed. But it also makes it tougher for them to get radio airplay because of the many competitors.

"Us singers, we live and breathe for the airplay we get on the radio," he said. "That's what makes people eager to come and see you."

Although McCoy himself is eager to perform, he is far from a singer obsessed with his career. He's the father of a 6-year-old daughter and he and his wife just built a new home in Longview.

Although he loves his career, he said, nothing means more than his family.

"It's so nice to come back from the road and get to spend time with my family," he said. "My daughter, Miki, just started first grade, and I got to go to parents' night. It was really special because I usually miss most of those functions."

As for his daughter, he said, "She loves it when daddy's home. I spoil her."

McCoy is looking forward to filming a video next week, the first live video the band has done. And he said he's also looking forward to his second trip to the SEMO District Fair.

"Last year, we had so much fun, we told them we wanted to come back," he said. "Then we found out they wanted us back. I'm looking forward to it."

McCoy's performance starts at 7:30 p.m. in the grandstand.