Mike McCarty, born in 1946, is a Dothan, Alabama native and graduate of Auburn University, class of 1970. Due to his countless designs of album cover art and other music industry design projects, Birmingham Record Collectors wanted to recognize his significant achievements in the music industry.

While attending Auburn University, Mike began taking art classes and realized he had a talent for illustration. During that time, Mike had an opportunity to submit a pen and ink drawing to a contest for the band, Steppenwolf. The band accepted the drawing and Mike started to see his work utilized on promotional posters for the band. Mike confesses that when he saw his art in print, he was “really hooked then.”

Mike also knew Buddy Buie, a childhood friend who became a famous songwriter and producer. Mike was enlisted by Buddy to design and illustrate numerous album covers for the band Atlanta Rhythm Section. In 1976, Mike, along with his wife, Sherri, established the graphic design firm called McCarty Graphics. Over the course of time, Mike designed over 200 album covers for many famous artists including Isaac Hayes, Willie Nelson, Fats Domino, Piano Red, Waylon Jennings, Sam and Dave, Joe South, Billy Joe Royal, James Brown, Solomon Burke, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis,  Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Patti Smith. Much of his album art has been featured on hugely popular albums achieving Gold, Platinum, and Double Platinum status. Mike notes: “The irony though when I was in high school, I was buying these albums of these people that later on I got to do covers for. And we became friends. I never would have imagined something like that happening.”

In addition to designing album covers, Mike also designed T-shirts and other products that were created to market musical artists for many major record companies such as CBS Records, Columbia Records, United Artist Records, Polygram, Warner Brother Records, Capricorn Records, Mercury Records, ARISTA Records, and MCA Records. Furthermore, Mike was a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and also served as Chairman of the Album Packaging Committee for the Grammy Awards.

When asked what are his favorite album covers that he created, Mike notes that it is difficult to narrow it down. Yet, when pressed, he did note his particular love for Atlanta Rhythm Section’s Red Tape (1976), Rossington Collins Band’s Anytime, Anywhere, Any Place (1980), Starbuck’s Moonlight Feels Right (1975), and Patti Smith’s single, “Because the Night” (1978).

The Birmingham Record Collectors Hall of Fame Class of 2024

“The Preservation, Collection and Appreciation of Recorded Music”