Mindy McCready
Mindy McCready is a country music artist who released her critically acclaimed first album, Ten Thousand Angels, in 1996, at the age of 21. The double platinum album hit number five on Billboard Magazine's Country Music Charts, and the single "Guys Do It All the Time" hit number one. McCready's career encountered problems in the next decade, after arrests for battery and for attempting to procure OxyContin with a fake prescription. In late April 2008, the New York Daily News reported that McCready had engaged in a decade-long affair with former New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens—an affair which allegedly began when McCready was only 15.
Early Life and Career
Born into a strict Pentecostal family, McCready knew from an early age that she wanted to be a singer. A trip to Nashville when she was 18 netted her a deal with BNA Records, and her first album quickly became a commercial and critical success.
Roger Clemens Revelations
McCready's affair with Roger Clemens, according to the Daily News, began in a Fort Myers karaoke bar when McCready was only 15. Clemens, who has been married to Debbie Clemens since 1984, allegedly partied and lodged with the country music star in New York while he was a pitcher for the New York Yankees. Clemens also allegedly sent McCready bundles of cash to help her out during her recent arrests and incarcerations. Clemens has denied all of the allegations, calling McCready a "close family friend."
Recent Troubles
However, McCready's subsequent releases never matched the success of Ten Thousand Angels, and after 2000, her personal difficulties overshadowed her work. She was briefly engaged to actor Dean Cain, and in 2006, bore a child, Zander, stemming from her relationship with boyfriend and budding country music artist Billy McKnight. In 2005, McCready alleged on the Oprah Winfrey Show that McKnight was physically abusive and that she had tried to commit suicide by overdosing on prescription drugs. Between 2004 and 2007, McCready was arrested several times, on charges ranging from identity theft to battery and resisting arrest.
Fast Facts
- Born: November 30, 1975
- Birthplace: Fort Myers, Florida
- Once engaged to actor Dean Cain
- September 14, 2007: Sentenced to one year in prison for probation violation
- Daily News alleged that the liner notes in McCready's albums contained "personal love missives" to Clemens
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