Lonnie Mack facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lonnie Mack
Mack performing at Rising Sun, Indiana, in 2003
Background information
Birth name	Lonnie McIntosh
Born	(1941-07-18)July 18, 1941 West Harrison, Indiana, U.S.
Died	April 21, 2016(2016-04-21) (aged 74) Smithville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Blues rock, blue-eyed soul, blues, country, Southern rock, rockabilly, gospel, bluegrass
Occupation(s)	Musician, singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1954–2004
Labels	Fraternity, Elektra, Alligator, Capitol, Jewel, King, Ace, Epic, Flying V, Sage, Dobbs
Associated acts	Stevie Ray Vaughan

Lonnie Mack (born Lonnie McIntosh, July 18, 1941 – April 21, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, and amazing guitarist. He was a pioneer in blues rock music. He also helped shape how rock guitar solos sound today.

Mack became famous in 1963 with his album The Wham of that Memphis Man. This album made him known as a blue-eyed soul singer. He was also seen as a guitar innovator. On his instrumental songs, Mack added "edgy, aggressive, loud, and fast" melodies. These new sounds raised the bar for rock guitar playing. They helped make the electric guitar a top solo instrument in rock. His style also became a model for blues rock and Southern rock guitar.

Soon after his album came out, the very popular "British Invasion" happened. This meant Mack's recording career didn't grow as much. He kept playing in smaller places until 1968. Then, Rolling Stone magazine wrote about him. Elektra Records signed him for three albums. He started playing in big venues. But his Elektra albums didn't focus enough on his guitar playing or blues rock style. His record sales were not huge. Mack left Elektra in 1971. For the next 14 years, he mostly played in smaller venues. He also worked as a sideman and owned music clubs.

In 1985, Mack made a big comeback with a successful blues rock album called Strike Like Lightning. He went on tour with famous guitarists like Stevie Ray Vaughan. He also played a concert at Carnegie Hall with Roy Buchanan and Albert Collins. In 1986, he toured with Buchanan and Dickey Betts. In 1990, he released another popular blues rock album, Lonnie Mack Live! Attack of the Killer V. After that, he stopped recording new music. He continued to perform live, mostly in smaller places, until 2004.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Lonnie Mack's family moved from eastern Kentucky to Dearborn County, Indiana, before he was born. He was born on July 18, 1941, in West Harrison, Indiana. This town is close to Cincinnati, Ohio. He grew up on farms where his family shared crops.

His family listened to the Grand Ole Opry country music show on a radio. Lonnie would listen after everyone else went to bed. He became a fan of rhythm and blues and traditional black gospel music.

He started playing guitar at age seven. He traded his bicycle for a "Lone Ranger" acoustic guitar. His mother taught him basic chords. Soon, he was playing bluegrass guitar in his family's band. When he was about seven or eight, an uncle taught him about blues guitar. Around age ten, an "old black man" named Wayne Clark showed him "Robert Johnson style guitar." Lonnie taught himself to mix country finger-picking with acoustic blues-picking. He said this mix "sounded like rockabilly, but before rockabilly."

His musical influences stayed varied as he grew as a musician. When he was a pre-teen, blind singer-guitarist Ralph Trotto mentored him. Trotto was a well-known country-gospel performer. Mack would skip school to play music with Trotto. Mack felt that country picker Merle Travis, pop/jazz guitarist Les Paul, and electric blues guitarist T-Bone Walker were very important to his guitar style. Singers like Jimmy Reed, Ray Charles, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Hank Ballard, George Jones, Archie Brownlee, and Wilson Pickett influenced his singing. Mack recorded songs linked to all these artists.

Lonnie Mack's Music Career

Lonnie Mack often switched and mixed different types of Southern roots music. This made him hard to describe or market. He had times of great success in rock music in the 1960s and 1980s. But he was mostly out of the rock spotlight for long periods (1971–1984 and 1991–2004). During these times, he kept performing in smaller places. He became a "cult figure" among roots-rock fans. In the end, his influence on other musicians was much bigger than his commercial success.

In 1954, at age 13, Mack left school. He got a fake ID and started playing music in bars around Cincinnati. He was earning $300 a week as a 14-year-old guitarist in 1955. This was more than most workers in local factories. At 15, he played on local TV with his band, the Twilighters. He played guitar on some recordings in the late 1950s.

In the early 1960s, he became a session guitarist for Fraternity Records. This was a small record label in Cincinnati. In 1963, he recorded two hit songs for Fraternity. These were instrumental guitar songs called "Memphis" and "Wham!" He then recorded more songs for his first album, The Wham of that Memphis Man (1963). Mack made other notable recordings later, especially in the 1980s. But his 1963 debut album is seen as the most important part of his career. Music critics have always loved it:

• 1968: Guitar: "...in a class by himself."...Vocals: "...sincerity and intensity that's hard to find anywhere." – Alec Dubro, Rolling Stone.
• 1987: "This album sounds surprisingly modern. Not many have done it this well." – Gregory Himes, The Washington Post.
• 1992: "The first of the guitar-hero records is also one of the best. The singing on this disc is worthy of the guitar playing." – Jimmy Guterman, ranking the album No. 16 in The 100 Best Rock 'n' Roll Records of All Time.
• 2007: "...a spectacular feast of down-home blues, gospel, R&B, and country chicken-pickin'...a unique vision of American roots music [that was] five years ahead of the British blues-rockers." – Dave Rubin, Inside the Blues, 1942–1982.
• 2016: "Of all the Mack material available this is the one [album] I'd regard as absolutely essential." – Dave Stephens, Toppermost.

He recorded many more songs for Fraternity between 1963 and 1967. But few were widely released or promoted. None became hits. Decades later, Ace Records (UK) released all of Mack's Fraternity recordings. These included old songs, unreleased ones, and demos. In the mid-1960s, Mack's chances for success were hurt. Fraternity didn't have much money. Also, the very popular British Invasion happened just two months after The Wham of that Memphis Man was released. When The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964, Mack's recording career slowed down.

Even though his recording career stalled, Mack stayed busy performing. He traveled across the country playing one-night shows. He played with many artists, from Jimi Hendrix to The Everly Brothers and Chuck Berry. He also did session work, playing guitar for artists like James Brown and Freddie King.

In 1968, during the blues-rock era, Elektra Records bought Mack's contract. They moved him to Los Angeles to record three albums. In November 1968, Rolling Stone magazine praised Mack's 1963 album. This led Elektra to re-release it. He soon played in major rock venues like the Fillmore East and Fillmore West. He opened for The Doors and Crosby, Stills & Nash. He also shared the stage with Johnny Winter and Elvin Bishop.

However, Mack's country style didn't quite fit the rock audience of the time. After two albums with Elektra that didn't highlight his blues-rock strengths, Mack was unhappy. He said, "My music wasn't working that good then. I ain’t really happy with a lot of the stuff I did there."

Mack took a break from performing and recording. He also worked for Elektra's A&R department, helping find new talent. In 1971, Mack moved to Nashville. There, he recorded The Hills of Indiana. This album had a country feel and focused on his singing. It had only one song, Asphalt Outlaw Hero, that showed off his guitar skills. The album didn't get much attention.

Mack missed playing in small towns. He didn't like the idea of being a rock star. He said, "I wasn't happy. So one of the best-feeling moments I ever had was when that L.A. sign was in my rear-view mirror and I was free again." He also said, "Seems like every time I get close to really making it, to climbing to the top of the mountain, that's when I pull out." Music historian Dick Shurman noted that Mack's country personality "wasn't suited to stardom. I think he'd rather have been hunting and fishing."

In 1971, Mack went back home to southern Indiana. For over ten years, he played in roadhouses and was a sideman. He also recorded country and bluegrass music. During this time, he owned a nightclub in Covington, Kentucky. He also had an outdoor country music venue in Friendship, Indiana.

In 1983, Mack moved to Austin, Texas. He worked with his blues-rock student, guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. Vaughan wanted Mack to record again. But Mack became very ill, which he said was due to his lifestyle. In 1985, Mack made a "full-fledged comeback." He released the blues-rock album Strike Like Lightning. He toured with guest appearances by Vaughan, Ry Cooder, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood. He also played a concert at Carnegie Hall.

In 1986, Mack joined Buchanan and Dickey Betts for "The Great American Guitar Assault Tour." He released three more albums over the next four years. His last album, Lonnie Mack Live! – Attack of the Killer V!, came out in 1990. He was tired from constant touring. So, he ended his recording career. However, he continued to play live shows at his own pace until 2004.

The Hits: "Memphis" and "Wham!"

On March 12, 1963, after a recording session, Mack had 20 minutes of studio time left. He used it to record an energetic instrumental version of Chuck Berry's "Memphis, Tennessee." He had made it up a few years earlier. His keyboard player, Denzil "Dumpy" Rice, usually sang and played the Berry song. But when he was absent, Mack didn't know the lyrics. So, he played an amazing electric guitar version instead. He kept it in his live shows, calling it simply "Memphis."

The 1963 recording of "Memphis" had a fast, melodic blues solo. It was set within a rockabilly/Memphis Soul style, with a rock drum-beat. This song was a big step forward in rock guitar playing. It went beyond the simple chords and riffs of early rock guitarists like Chuck Berry and Link Wray.

Mack remembered that after recording the song, "It didn't mean a thing to me. I left to go on the road." He didn't know what was happening until he was backing Chubby Checker one night. A disc jockey ran up to him, saying, "You got the No. 1 record on our station!" By late June, Memphis reached No. 4 on Billboard's R&B chart. It also hit No. 5 on Billboard's pop chart. The song sold over one million copies. Its popularity led to bigger shows and even a tour in the UK. He also performed with Chuck Berry.

Still in 1963, Mack released "Wham!" This was a fast, gospel-like guitar song. It reached No. 24 on Billboard's Pop chart in September. While Memphis was the bigger hit, many people connect the faster Wham! (and Chicken-Pickin' from 1964) with the guitar style he created.

Mack's early guitar recordings are linked to the start of amazing blues-rock guitar playing. Music critic Bill Millar said, "The term ‘influential’ is applied to almost anyone these days but there's still a case for saying that the massively popular blues-rock guitar genre can be traced way back to the strength, power and emotional passion of Lonnie Mack."

Lonnie Mack's Guitar Style

Lonnie Mack's skill on rock guitar came from his early mastery of fast bluegrass and country guitar styles. By his late teens, Mack could also play blues, rockabilly, and the rhythmic chord playing of early rock's Chuck Berry.

By 1963, Mack's ability to quickly use the full range of the guitar was much better than the usual rock music standard. In "Memphis," "Wham!," and other early 1960s instrumental songs, he added fast leads. These leads had melodies, runs, and "mature blues chops." He also switched between quick melodic leads and rhythmic chords. Other guitarists like Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray Vaughan soon copied this. While these elements had appeared in early rock saxophone and keyboard solos, Mack was the first to combine them all in rock guitar.

Mack made his guitar sound special with overlapping vibrato effects. In the 1960s, he used a Magnatone amplifier from the 1950s. This created a constant, watery vibrato sound, like R&B guitarist Robert Ward (blues musician). He also used a Bigsby vibrato arm to bend the pitch of notes. He often held the arm with his fourth finger while picking. He would quickly fan it to the beat of his tremolo picking. This made a "shuddering" single-note sound, like a machine gun. Neil Young sees Mack as a pioneer of the vibrato arm. He said, "You've got to look at guys like Lonnie Mack. He showed everybody how to use a [vibrato arm]." The device is often called a "whammy bar" because of Mack's skill with it in "Wham!"

Rock historian Dave Stephens says Mack's overall guitar sound was "highly distinctive, dare I say, unique." He added that in the early rock era, only Link Wray and Duane Eddy had such easily recognizable sounds.

Mack's Impact on Rock Guitar

Lonnie Mack's early 1960s recordings set trends for rock guitar. They raised the standard for guitar playing. They also helped the electric guitar become the top solo instrument in rock. His style became a model for blues-rock and Southern rock music.

Mack's "edgy, aggressive, loud, and fast" blues guitar sound is also credited with helping the electric guitar become the main solo instrument in rock.

Mack's early 1960s guitar tracks are said to have prepared the way for "blues-rock" and "Southern rock" guitar styles. These styles became popular a few years after "Memphis" and "Wham!"

Mack's 1963 debut album has been called "the first of the guitar hero records." This is because it introduced flashy, difficult melodies and runs to rock guitar solos. It is said to have started rock guitar's "modern" era. In 1980, "Memphis" (1963) was ranked number one on Guitar World magazine's list of rock guitar's top five "landmark" recordings. It was even ahead of albums by Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.

According to The New York Times, Mack's guitar style greatly influenced many British and American rock guitarists. Those who said Mack influenced them include Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, Neil Young, Ted Nugent, Dickey Betts, Warren Haynes, and Bootsy Collins. Other sources say Mack also influenced guitarists like Joe Bonamassa, Eric Clapton, Duane Allman, Jerry Garcia, Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards, and Jimmy Page.

Mack said, "It's a great honor to be able to [inspire other artists]. What you do in this business, your whole thing is givin' stuff away. But that makes you feel good, makes you feel like you've really done something."

Mack's Famous Guitar: "Number 7"

Lonnie Mack was known for his unique-looking Gibson Flying V guitar. This guitar first appeared in 1958. When he was seventeen, he bought the seventh Flying V ever made. He named it "Number 7." Mack, who was part Native American, loved the arrow-like shape of the guitar. He had spent his youth with a bow and arrow.

Mack played "Number 7" almost all the time throughout his career. Early on, he added a Bigsby vibrato bar to the guitar. This needed a steel bar mounted below the "V" shape, giving the guitar a special look. The title of Mack's last album, Attack of the Killer V, was a nod to his guitar.

In 1993, Gibson Guitar Corporation made a special "Lonnie Mack Signature Edition" of Number 7. In 2010, it was featured in Star Guitars: 101 Guitars That Rocked The World. In 2011, Walter Carter, author of The Guitar Collection, called Number 7 one of the world's "150 most elite guitars." In 2012, Rolling Stone magazine named it one of "20 iconic guitars."

"Blue-Eyed Soul" Singing Style

Throughout his career, Lonnie Mack's singing mixed white and black Southern influences. One person called his singing style "country-esque blues." His most famous vocals were gospel-inspired "blue-eyed soul" ballads. Most of these songs didn't become big hits. But critics and music historians have always praised them:

• 1968: "It is truly the voice of Lonnie Mack that sets him apart...primarily a gospel singer...sincerity and intensity that's hard to find anywhere." – Alec Dubro, Rolling Stone.
• 1983: "Lonnie Mack wailed a soul ballad as gutsily as any black gospel singer. The anguished inflections which stamped his best songs had a directness which would have been wholly embarrassing in the hands of almost any other white vocalist." – Bill Millar, History of Rock.
• 1992: "The first of the guitar-hero records is also one of the best. And for perhaps the last time, the singing on such a disc was worthy of the guitar." – Jimmy Guterman, The 100 Best Rock 'n' Roll Records Of All Time.
• 2001: ""Why?", Mack wails, transforming it into a word of three syllables. "Why-y-y?" It's sweaty slow-dance stuff, with an organ intro, a stinging guitar solo, and, after the last emotional chorus, four simple notes on the guitar as a coda. There's no sadder, dustier, beerier song in all of Rock". – James Curtis, Fortune.
• 2002: "For me, his vocal records became a metaphor for soul music; when I heard them, I finally understood what the term meant." – Randy McNutt, Guitar Towns.
• 2009: "[Mack's "Why?" (1963) is] the greatest deep soul record ever made...a cry of anguish so extreme you have to close your eyes in shame over witnessing it...Mack's scream at the end has never been matched." – Greil Marcus.
• 2016: "Up to April the 21st 2016, the day he died, Lonnie Mack was the best living white soul singer in the world, so good that he could even be mentioned in the same sentence as some of the all-time great black stars of what is essentially a black genre, and yes, I'm talking about the likes of Bobby Bland, Wilson Pickett and others." – Dave Stephens, Toppermost.
• 2021: "The blue-eyed soul singer who might best demonstrate this is Lonnie Mack, [whose] influence and standing among musicians far exceeded his [commercial] success." - James E. Perrone, Listen To Soul! Exploring a Musical Genre.

Some examples of his blue-eyed soul songs include:

• Why ("The Wham of that Memphis Man", 1963)
• Where There's A Will ("The Wham of that Memphis Man", 1963)
• Baby, What's Wrong? ("The Wham of that Memphis Man", 1963)
• She Don't Come Here Anymore ("Glad I'm in the Band", 1969)
• Let Them Talk ("Glad I'm in the Band", 1969)
• My Babe ("Whatever's Right", 1969)
• Gotta Be An Answer ("Whatever's Right", 1969)
• Stormy Monday (live, "Live at Coco's", rec. 1983, rel. 1999)
• Why (live, "Live at Coco's", rec. 1983, rel. 1999)
• The Things I Used To Do (live, "Live at Coco's", rec. 1983, rel. 1999)
• Stop ("Strike Like Lightning", 1985)
• I Found A Love (live, "Attack of the Killer V", 1990)
• Stop (live, "Attack of the Killer V", 1990)

Later Years and Legacy

Lonnie Mack released his last album, Lonnie Mack Live: Attack of the Killer V, in 1990. But he kept performing, mostly in smaller places, into the early 2000s. His last public performances were in 2004. He missed being on stage and making people happy. Still, he stayed retired except for a few special appearances:

• On February 17, 2007, he played Cincinnati Jail at a benefit concert in Nashville.
• On November 15, 2008, he performed Wham! at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This was a tribute to electric guitar pioneer, Les Paul. Later, he joined Les Paul and other famous rock guitarists for a blues jam.
• In 2010, he played Memphis at the last reunion of his band from the "Memphis" era. There are no reports of Mack performing after this.

In 2011, he released some acoustic recordings online. Around that time, he was also working on a book about his life. He was also writing songs with Bobby Boyd, a country and blues songwriter.

In 2012, early rock guitar star Travis Wammack asked Mack to join him on a tour. Mack said no, explaining he "...wasn't in good shape. He said he can't play standing up any more [and] it's hard to hold a Flying V sitting down."

Lonnie Mack passed away from natural causes on April 21, 2016, at age 74. He died at a hospital near his home in rural Tennessee. His death was overshadowed by the death of rock superstar Prince, who died on the same day. Mack was buried in Aurora, Indiana.

Awards and Recognition

See also

In Spanish: Lonnie Mack para niños

• Blues-rock
• Southern rock
• Blue-eyed soul
• Gibson Flying V
• Guitar solo