Childhood & Early Life
Scotty McCreery was born on October 3, 1993, in Garner, North Carolina. His mother, Judy, works as a realtor. His father, Micheal McCreery, is of Puerto Rican descent and works as a Systems Analyst. He has an older sister, Ashley.
He attended Timber Drive Elementary School before moving to the West Lake Middle School and finally graduated from Garner Magnet High School in 2012. He was a member of the choir in all the three schools. He first sang tenor as a freshman but switched to bass later.
He began singing in his church and was a part of the vocal ensemble 'Die Meistersingers' formed by his chorus teacher. The ensemble performed across the US.
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Career
Before bursting into the mainstream music industry, McCreery already had exposure to competitions. He won the ‘Clayton Idol’ in 2009. He was also one of 36 finalists in the Rip the Hallways contest. He’d also performed in concerts for various benefits.
His professional career began when he won the 10th season of American Idol in 2011. His bass voice was highly praised by the judges. The other finalist was the fellow country singer Lauren Alaina.
His single 'I Love You This Big' immediately followed the win and soon climbed the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The song has also been certified gold.
He signed up a contract with Mercury Nashville for over $250,000 to record his first album. His debut album 'Clear as Day' was consequently released in 2011. It was favorably received and reached No. 1 in as many as five Billboard charts.
The song 'The Trouble with Girls' from his first album was certified gold. He performed this song for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
He performed the song ‘Walk in the Country’ at the 45th Annual Country Music Association Awards in 2011. He also joined other country musicians to tape the CMA Country Christmas special, where he sang ‘The First Noel’.
He sang the National Anthem for the first game in the World Series between the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis. He was also a part of the musicians who sang at Walt Disney World for the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade in December, 2011.
At the 2nd Annual American Country Awards, he performed his single ‘The Trouble with Girls’ and won the New Artist award in 2011. He also received the ACM Breakthrough Video of the Year Award.
His compilation ‘Christmas with Scotty McCreery’ was released on October 16, 2012. The album included holiday classics and two new songs. It earned the No. 4 spot with sales crossing over 41,000. This album too was certified gold.
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He performed ‘Holly Jolly Christmas’ and ‘Jingle Bells’ for the Christmas special broadcast that was aired on NBC in November 2012. The Christmas cheer continued when he sang ‘Winter Wonderland’ for the CMA Country Christmas show in December 2012.
In the Christmas celebration for the Children’s National Medical Center, he sang ‘Santa Claus in Back in Town’ and ‘May, Did You Know?’. This event was also attended by Barack Obama.
His second album ‘See You Tonight’ was produced by Frank Rogers and released on October 15, 2013. The first single ‘See You Tonight’ was, however, released earlier in May, and it soon reached the top ten on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. This was his first foray into the top ten.
He penned the song ‘Feelin It’ alongside Ashley Gorley and Zach Crowell and this was released in April 2014. This single soon climbed the charts and reached the top ten on Billboard Country Airplay.
For the first time, his single ‘Southern Belle’ in 2015, was initially released to digital distributors and later for radio. The song reached the top 50 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.
He ended his association with Mercury Nashville in February 2016. In the meanwhile, he mentored two contestants in the fifteenth season of American Idol. He performed ‘See You Tonight’ along with Jenna Renae. He also sang ‘Gone’ with Jeneve Mitchell.
April 2016, marked his return to American Idol for the final show. He performed along with Lauren Alaina, Kree Harrison, Bucky Covington, Ace Young, Kellie Pickler, Constantine Maroulis, Diana DeGarmo, and Skylar Laine.
His book ‘Go Big or Go Home: The Journey Toward the Dream’ was released in May 2016. It chronicles his journeys and experiences to stardom. He also went on a book tour to promote his book.
He signed a deal with Triple 8 Management for representation in October 2016. In the same year, he released ‘Five More Minutes’, his latest single. This was released to digital retailers and streaming services. The song was inspired by his grandfather’s death.
The video for ‘Five More Minutes’ was released in June 2017. This became the first song that had no record label but ranked in the Top 50 on Mediabase. He signed a deal with Triple Tiger Records/Sony Music Entertainment in August 2017.
Personal Life & Legacy
Scotty McCreery got engaged to his long-time girlfriend Gabi Dugal in 2017. In 2018, the couple got married. The couple welcomed their first child together, a boy, named Merrick, in October 2022.
The North Carolina Museum of History unveiled an exhibition dedicated to his achievements in 2012. It displays several paraphernalia that was a part of McCreery’s life, including lyric sheets and his gold record.
He was granted the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award in 2017, which is conferred by the Governor of North Carolina and is the highest civilian award granted by the State. It was awarded for his contribution to the State.
