He was named 1974’s entertainer of the year by the Academy of Country Music and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His longtime manager Jim Morey said in a press release that Davis died in Nashville on Tuesday after heart surgery and was surrounded by family and friends.ĭavis had a long and varied career in music for decades as a writer, singer, actor and TV host and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006. Country star Mac Davis, who launched his career crafting the Elvis hits “A Little Less Conversation” and “In the Ghetto,” and whose own hits include “Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me,” has died. Mac Davis received a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1998 and was inducted into the national Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York in 2006.NASHVILLE, Tenn. Davis also had roles in such TV shows as The Dukes of Hazzard (2000) and Rodney (2004). He played the title role in The Will Rogers Follies in 19, both on Broadway and in the musical's touring company. He also acted in such movies as North Dallas Forty (1979), Cheaper to Keep Her (1980), The Sting II (1983) and Jackpot (2001).

From 1974 to 1976 he hosted and starred in his own musical variety TV series on NBC. In the 1980s, Mac Davis made the transition to country radio stardom with such songs as 'It's Hard to Be Humble' (1980), 'Texas in My Rear View Mirror' (1980), 'Hooked on Music' (1981) and 'You're My Bestest Friend' (1981). Davis became a pop singing star in 1972 with his self-penned 'Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me.' Another major success was 1974's 'Stop and Smell the Roses.' He was named the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year in 1974. Mac Davis also recorded his own songs in the 1960s. Other notable early copyrights included 'Everything a Man Could Ever Need' (sung by Glen Campbell), 'Something's Burning' (a hit for Kenny Rogers & the First Edition), 'Watching Scotty Grow' (Bobby Goldsboro) and 'I Believe in Music' (a hit for the group Gallery that has been recorded by more than 50 artists). His big breakthrough as a songwriter occurred in 1969 when Elvis Presley recorded his 'In the Ghetto,' 'Memories' and 'Don't Cry Daddy.' All three songs became pop hits. The Liberty job took him to the West Coast, where he became affiliated with Nancy Sinatra's music publishing company. He also played in rock bands there and worked as a probation officer.

He was the regional manager of Vee-Jay Records and later Liberty Records in that city in the 1960s. Although born and raised in Texas, Mac Davis first broke into the music business in Atlanta, Georgia, where he attended Emory University.

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