Mac Wiseman
| Mac Wiseman | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Malcolm B. Wiseman |
| Born |
May 23, 1925 Crimora, Virginia, U.S.A. |
| Genres | Bluegrass, country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, upright bass |
| Years active | 1944–present |
| Labels | Dot, Capitol, RCA, Sugar Hill, CMH, Music Mill, Oh Boy, Wrinkled Records |
| Associated acts | Molly O'Day, Foggy Mountain Boys, Bill Monroe, Osborne Brothers, The Country Boys |
Malcolm B. Wiseman (born May 23, 1925), better known as Mac Wiseman, is an American bluegrass singer, nicknamed The Voice with a Heart. The bearded singer is one of the cult figures of bluegrass.
Born in Crimora, Virginia, he studied at the Shenandoah Conservatory in Dayton, Virginia—before it moved to Winchester, Virginia in 1960—and started his career as a disc jockey at WSVA-AM in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
His musical career began as upright bass player in the band of country singer Molly O'Day. When Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs left Bill Monroe's band, Wiseman became the guitarist for their new band, the Foggy Mountain Boys. Later he played with Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys. After a performance on Louisiana Hayride he became popular as solo artist. In the 1950s, he was the star of The Old Dominion Barn Dance on WRVA in Richmond, Va.
During the folk revival in the 1960s, Wiseman had successful concerts at the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall.
He joined producers Randall Franks and Alan Autry for the In the Heat of the Night cast CD Christmas Time’s A Comin’ released on Sonlite and MGM/UA for one of the most popular Christmas releases of 1991 and 1992 with Southern retailers.
In 1993 he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor. His substantial girth and light tenor voice gave rise to the quip that "Mac Wiseman sings like Gene Vincent looks, and looks like Ernest Tubb sings."
In 2014 he was the inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.[1] In the same year, he also released a new album of songs inspired by his mother's handwritten notebooks of songs she heard on the radio when Mac was a child: Songs From My Mother's Hand.[2]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Title | Label | Number | Notes |
| 1957 | Tis Sweet To Be Remembered | Dot | DLP-3084/25084 | Dot mono = 3xxx, stereo = 25xxx |
| 1959 | Beside The Still Waters | Dot | DLP-3135/25135 | |
| 1959 | Great Folk Ballads | Dot | DLP-3213/25213 | |
| 1960 | Sings 12 Great Hits | Dot | DLP-3313/25313 | |
| 1960 | Keep On The Sunny Side | Dot | DLP-3336/25336 | |
| 1961 | Best Loved Gospel Hymns | Dot | DLP-3373/25373 | |
| 1961 | Fireball Mail | Dot | DLP-3408/25408 | |
| 1962 | Bluegrass Favorites | Capitol | T-1800/ST-1800 | |
| 1965 | At the Toronto Horseshoe Club | Wise | LP-228 | |
| 1966 | Sincerely | Hamilton | HLP-130 | |
| 1966 | This Is Mac Wiseman | Dot | DLP-3697/25697 | |
| 1966 | A Master At Work | Dot | DLP-3730/25730 | |
| 1966 | Bluegrass | Dot | DLP-3731/25731 | with the Osborne Brothers |
| 1966 | Songs Of The Dear Old Days | Hamilton | HLP-167/1267 | |
| 1966 | Sings Old Time Country Favorites | Rural Rhythm | RRMW-158 | |
| 1967 | Mac Wiseman | Hilltop | JM/JS-6047 | |
| 1970 | Sings Johnny's Cash & Charley's Pride | RCA Victor | LSP-4336 | |
| 1971 | Lester 'N' Mac | RCA Victor | LSP-4547 | with Lester Flatt |
| 1972 | On The Southbound | RCA Victor | LSP-4688 | with Lester Flatt |
| 1973 | Singing Country Favorites | Rural Rhythm | RRMW-258 | reissue of RRMW-158 with Electric Guitar,
Electric Bass, and Drums Overdubbed onto the original Mono recording to create a Stereo effect. |
| 1973 | Over The Hills To The Poorhouse | RCA Victor | APL1-0309 | with Lester Flatt |
| 1973 | Concert Favorites | RCA Victor | LSP-4845 | |
| 1976 | Country Music Memories | CMH | 6202 | |
| 1976 | New Traditions Volume 1 | Vetco | LP-508 | with the Shenandoah Cut-Ups |
| 1977 | New Traditions Volume 2 | Vetco | LP-509 | with the Shenandoah Cut-Ups |
| 1977 | Sings Gordon Lightfoot | CMH | 6217 | |
| 1979 | The Essential Bluegrass Album | CMH | 9016 | with the Osborne Brothers |
| 1980 | Songs That Made The Jukebox Play | CMH | 9021 | |
| 1982 | Mac and Chubby Live at Gilley's | Gilley's | MG-5006 | with Chubby Wise |
| 1982 | The Clayton McMichen Story | CMH | 9028 | with Merle Travis |
| 1982 | Live In Concert | Country Road | CR-01 | |
| 1982 | Grassroots To Bluegrass | CMH | 9041 | |
| 1984 | If Teardrops Were Pennies | 51 West | Q-16280 | |
| 1986 | Mac Wiseman | Dot | 39086 | |
| 1993 | Teenage Hangout | Bear Family | BCD-15694 | (Germany) |
| 1994 | Number One Christmas | Power Pak | 10511 | |
| 1998 | Del Doc & Mac | Sugar Hill | SHCD-3888 | with Doc Watson and Del McCoury |
| 2000 | 3 Tenors of Bluegrass | CMH | 8530 | with Bobby Osborne and Jim Silvers |
| 2001 | Letter Edged in Black | Music Mill | 50101 | also Wise 101 |
| 2001 | Just Because | Music Mill | 50102 | also Wise 102 |
| 2001 | Maple on the Hill | Music Mill | 50106 | also Wise 106 |
| 2001 | Shares Precious Memories | Music Mill | 50108 | with Brother Oswald, also Wise 108 |
| 2001 | First Recorded Live Concert | Music Mill | 50109 | also Wise 109 |
| 2003 | The Lost Album | Music Mill | 70038 | unreleased 1964 Capitol sessions |
| 2005 | 15 of My Grandma's Favorites | Music Mill | 50110 | also Wise 110 |
| 2005 | 15 of My Gospel Favorites | Music Mill | 50111 | also Wise 111 |
| 2007 | Standard Songs For Average People | Oh Boy | OBR-038 | duets with John Prine |
| 2008 | Old Likker in a New Jug | Wise | 113 | |
| 2008 | Waiting for the Boys to Come Home | Wise | 114 | |
| 2008 | Bluegrass Tradition | Gusto | GT7-0825 | |
| 2014 | Songs From My Mother's Hand | Wrinkled Records | WR-8336 | Inspired by his mother's handwritten notebooks of popular songs from his childhood |
Compilations
| Year | Title | Label | Number | Notes |
| 1964 | Sincerely, Mac Wiseman | Hamilton | HLP-130/12130 | |
| 1968 | Golden Hits of Mac Wiseman | Dot | DLP-3896/25896 | |
| 1974 | 16 Great Performances | ABC | ABDP-4009 | |
| 1976 | The Mac Wiseman Story | CMH | CMH-9001 | |
| 1979 | Golden Classics | Gusto | GT-0049 | |
| 1982 | Bluegrass Gold - Greatest Bluegrass Hits | CMH | CMH-4502 | reissue + "In the Pines" |
| 1981 | Early Dot Recordings Volume 1 | County | CCS-108 | reissue + "When The Roses Bloom Again" |
| 1982 | Early Dot Recordings Volume 2 | County | CCS-109 | reissue + "Paradise Valley" + "How Can You Forget So Soon" |
| 1982 | Bluegrass Special | Koala | A14541 | Dot reissue |
| 1986 | 24 Great Hits | De Luxe | DLX-7790 | |
| 1989 | Classic Bluegrass | Rebel | REB-CD-1106 | |
| 1992 | Early Dot Recordings Volume 3 | County | CCS-113 | also MCA MSD-35153 |
| 1992 | Rare Singles And Radio Transcriptions | Cowgirlboy | LP-5067 | (Germany) |
| 1997 | 20 Old Time Country Favorites | Rural Rhythm | RHYCD-258 | reissue of RRMW-258 |
| 2001 | Mac Wiseman Sings The Gospel, Vol. 1 | Music Mill | 50103 | also Wise 103 |
| 2001 | Mac Wiseman Sings The Gospel, Vol. 2 | Music Mill | 50104 | also Wise 104 |
| 2001 | At the Toronto Horseshoe Club | Music Mill | 50105 | also Wise 105 |
| 2001 | The Most Requested | CMH | CMH-8586 | |
| 2002 | The Heart Of A Legend | Madacy | 4446 | |
| 2003 | The Singles | Music Mill | 70037 | |
| 2004 | Tis Sweet To Be Remembered: Complete Recordings 1951-1964 | Bear Family | BCD-15976 | (Germany) 6-CD set, Dot/Capitol reissue |
| 2005 | Precious Moments | BCI | 41142 | |
| 2006 | The Best Of Mac Wiseman – Essential Original Masters | Rural Rhythm | 312 | Original Undubbed Mono Mixes of RRMW-158, plus several additional cuts taken from Mac Wiseman's personal archive. |
| 2006 | On Susan's Floor | Bear Family | BCD-16736 | (Germany) 4-CD set, Dot, Rodeo/Wise, Rural Rhythm, and RCA Reissue |
| 2009 | Bluegrass Hits And Heart Songs | Rebel | CD-7523 | |
Notable singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1955 | "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" | 10 | — | Single only |
| 1959 | "Jimmy Brown the Newsboy" | 5 | — | Great Folk Ballads |
| 1963 | "Your Best Friend and Me" | 12 | — | Singles only |
| 1968 | "Got Leavin' On Her Mind" | 54 | — | |
| 1969 | "Johnny's Cash and Charley's Pride" | 38 | 30 | Sings Johnny's Cash and Charley's Pride |
| 1978 | "Never Going Back Again" | 78 | — | Singles only |
| 1979 | "My Blue Heaven" (with Woody Herman) | 69 | — | |
| "Scotch and Soda" | 88 | — | ||
| "Shackles and Chains" (with Osborne Brothers) | 95 | — | The Essential Bluegrass Album | |
Guest singles
| Year | Single | Artist | US Country | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "Tomorrow's World" | Various artists | 74 | Single only |
References
- ↑ "Country Hall of Fame Taps Ronnie Milsap, Mac Wiseman, Hank Cochran". Rolling Stone. 2014-04-22. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
- ↑ "American Treasure, Bluegrass Pioneer, Country Music Hall of Famer Mac Wiseman releases masterwork album of folk songs from his childhood". Wrinkled Records. 2014-07-11. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
- 1 2 Pennell, Charley (November 8, 2009). "Discography of Bluegrass Sound Recordings, 1942 -". ibiblio. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
- 1 2 Praguefrank (December 2009). "Mac Wiseman". Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
- 1 2 Lambert, Gerard "Rocky" (February 27, 2007). "Mac Wiseman". Discographie Rock 'N' Country (in French). Retrieved December 28, 2009.
- ↑ Veerman, Heleen" (July 24, 2014). "Mac Wiseman To Release New Album". Press Release. Retrieved August 12, 2014.