Neal McCoy's Birthday Surprise

07/27/1998 2:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Lisa Zhito

(7/27/98, 12 p.m. PDT) - What do you get TNN/ Music City News Entertainer Of The Year Neal McCoy for a 40th birthday present? Well, if you're NBA star and part-time wrestler Karl Malone, you get him 40,000 pounds of potatoes.

In fact, a truck carrying just that pulled up to Nashville's Castle Door rehearsal hall last night, where McCoy was being feted by around 100 friends and associates at a surprise birthday bash. (McCoy's 40th birthday is July 31.)

McCoy and Malone have been close friends for years. Known as an inveterate prankster--and not one to toe the PC line, either--McCoy sent African-American Malone 10,000 pounds of watermelon for his birthday last week. The potato shipment came as a "gotcha back"-type joke poking fun at McCoy's Irish heritage. Ever the good sport; McCoy donated the shipment to Nashville's Second Harvest Food Bank.

McCoy was indeed surprised by the party; his managers lured him to the event on the pretext of cutting scratch vocals for an all-star country album. In addition to friends, family and industry associates, partygoers included McCoy's brother-in-law and fellow artist Kevin Sharp, and good friend Daryle Singletary.

-- Lisa Zhito, Nashville