Just what does Mac McAnally call himself? In his four-decade-plus career, he has enjoyed success as an artist, a writer and an instrumentalist. He has enjoyed hits from acts such as Alabama, Sawyer Brown, and Kenny Chesney and has won the Musician of the Year award for the past seven years from the Country Music Association—excelling as both a studio musician and playing in Jimmy Buffet’s Coral Reefers Band. McAnally is also an outstanding recording artist, having enjoyed success with 1977’s “It’s A Crazy World” and 1990’s “Back Where I Come From.” Having just released his first studio record since 2009, A.K.A. Nobody, McAnally recently sat down with MySpace to discuss his new music

This is your first new studio release since 2009’s Down By The River. Why the delay?

It has been quite a while. The songs have been there for a while, but I’ve just been terrible at time management. When I worked in Muscle Shoals, I didn’t have to be good at schedules, because I could do everything people asked me to do, and could still do whatever occurred to me, as well. The last couple of years, I unintentionally got in demand a little bit, and there wasn’t much time to make a record. I’ve had to learn to book myself. That’s a good thing, though. I love all of my jobs. I do a lot of different things, but I just see myself as being in the service of music every day when I wake up. I have never been bored and don’t really expect to be.

You recently hit France with Jimmy Buffett again. Tell us about playing over there.

This is seven or eight years straight that we’ve been over there. Jimmy has always felt a connection to France. He knows the language and has always written a little French in his stuff, so there was a natural reason that he wanted to be there. It allows us to rejuvenate ourselves. We play a small little theatre over there, and the rafters rock. It’s more fun than you would have on vacation if you had an unlimited credit card. We just get to call it work. It’s a privilege, and one that we look forward to every year.

How long have you been associated with Jimmy?

I first started playing on his records back in 1980. He cut a song of mine called “It’s My Job.” I played and sang on that record. Since then, I’ve been on the records, give or take one or two. I went out on the road with him for the first time in 1989 and full-time in 1995. He’s been a great friend and a great advocate of my work. I’m not always somebody who has ever had it in my nature to raise my hand and say “Look at me,” which you have to do in show business. Jimmy makes up for my deficiency in that way. He’s a good promoter of not only himself, but that he cares about.

On the new album, you two co-wrote “Coast Of Carolina,” which I understand is a sequel of sorts to a Buffett classic.

We’ve written together for various projects, but this song came together when we were talking about movie sequels, and how there could be song sequels. We started talking about doing one to “Come Monday” and what would be happening to those people in that song now. That was the impetus for the song. He recorded it, and I probably would have never done it, but the Parrotheads that come out to the shows always ask me to sing it. I really enjoy singing that song.

You also collaborated with Kenny Chesney on “Island Rain.”

Kenny has always been an advocate of mine. He and I have written a few times together, and we’re great pals. One of the things we have in common is going to the island to chill out. That song came out of a conversation we had. It’s funny. You can put my whole fan base in a trailer park, and Kenny’s is millions of people. He is so tickled that he got a Mac cut. He told me he was more pumped to have it on my record than if he had cut it. It means a lot to me that it’s on my record. I’m so tickled to have him as a friend and to get to work with him. He’s a great guy.

I know you typically don’t cover anyone, but I understand that “Mississippi, You’re On My Mind” is special. What sets it apart?

It’s my home state. I’ve always been a great Jesse Winchester fan, and I’ve never recorded a song that I didn’t write on a studio album—ever—until this one. I have kind of a one-man campaign going to have that song to become the state song of Mississippi. Our state song isn’t a great song. It was written as part of a campaign song for Governor Ross Burnette. It’s called “Go, Mississippi,” and it’s such a silly song. But, so much great music has come out of the state—and so many genres, starting with Jimmie Rodgers. I want a better song for our state song. It’s the only political thing I’ve ever done.

You have won the CMA Musician of the Year Award seven times, and you’re up again this year. What does that mean to you?

I feel like asking them “What’s wrong with this picture? Who doesn’t belong?” But, by the same token, though I don’t feel on the same level as those guys, I am so proud that someone has put me there. I am truly honored. The people that vote on the awards are the same people who do what we do, so somebody sees some merit to how I go about my business. That means a lot to me.

One of your first successes as a songwriter was with “Old Flame,” a 1981 hit for Alabama. But, you didn’t write it with them in mind…

When we wrote the song, we really wanted a John Conlee cut. He was one of my favorite artists. We pitched it a couple of times, and it got passed on. The guys from Alabama were just starting to get going, and they were playing as Muscle Shoals at a steakhouse. When they recorded the song, we didn’t think, Oh, awesome. We’ve got an Alabama cut. We got a cut from the guys that are playing at the steakhouse. We weren’t disappointed in that. We were honored and glad that anybody wanted to sing our song, but we thought of it as being below the bar of getting a John Conlee cut. But, all of a sudden, Alabama started to conquer the world, and we got to ride along with them—all because of one cool song that they took and ran with it. It’s amazing.