“It has been a long road but we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!”
Country songwriter Shane McAnally is officially a dad of three.
The 51-year-old hitmaker, who has written or produced 50 No. 1 country songs across his illustrious career, welcomed his third baby via surrogate with his husband Michael Baum.
McAnally announced the news in an exclusive interview with People, published Oct. 27.
"We were instantly in love," he said of his newborn baby boy, who weighed 8 lbs., 10 oz. at the time of his birth on Oct. 26. "He's just perfect in every way."
The couple, who welcomed twins Dylan and Dash via surrogacy in 2013, named their baby boy Texson Ray McAnally Baum — a nod to the state McAnally was born and raised in, according to People.
"Texson is about me being a Texan and he is the son of a Texan, so that's why it's spelled the way it is," he told the outlet of his baby’s unique place name, which comes with the nickname Tex.
McAnally was born and raised in Mineral Wells, located in north central Texas, according to People. He and his husband spent most of their careers in Nashville before moving to Santa Barbara in 2023.
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The newborn’s middle name, Ray, is a nod to McAnally’s grandmother, whose maiden name was Ray.
According to the Social Security Administration, the name Texson was given to less than five baby boys (if any) in 2024. Ray, a popular middle name, was used 322 times as a first name in 2024.
Texson is considered both a place name and patronymic name, which is a name derived from the father or a paternal ancestor, often created by adding a suffix or prefix that means "son" or "descendant".
Shane McAnally says his twins were hesitant about adding to the family
Shane McAnally isn't the only one falling in love with his newborn.
While their twins were initially hesitant about expanding the family, they eventually came around to the idea of being a family of five instead of a family of four.
"They were just like, ‘Absolutely not.’ ‘We’re good. We love the number four, and everything’s great,’” the four-time Grammy winner revealed in a separate interview with People, published Oct. 17.
"The moment they laid eyes on him, it really was love at first sight," McAnally said in the Oct. 27 interview.
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The decision to expand their family was one McAnally and Baum had discussed in the past, but it wasn’t until they moved to California that they felt the timing was right.
"We have really nested," McAnally said on Oct. 17. "It's just been a really good thing for our family. Michael always says, 'Things grow here,' and so we just wanted to expand the love."
He went on to add that it “started to feel like it was meant to be” and that he had to “trust the way the universe does things.”
According to Spotify, McAnally has written, co-written or produced nearly 500 songs in his career.
The biggest songs written by Shane McAnally include “Are You With Me” by Lost Frequencies, “Body Like A Back Road” by Sam Hunt, “7 Summers” by Morgan Wallen and “American Kids” by Kenny Chesney.
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He also wrote “Marry Me,” “T-Shirt” and “Unforgettable” by Thomas Rett — and his most recent release was “Old Me” by Alexandra Kay.
