Lonnie Mack is 73 years old today. Mack is a rock, blues and country guitarist and vocalist. Best known for his 1963 instrumental, Memphis, Mack has been called a pioneer in rock guitar soloing, as well as rocks first virtuoso lead guitarist and rocks first guitar hero. In 1963 and early 1964, he recorded a succession of full-length electric guitar instrumentals that combined blues stylism with fast-picking country techniques and a rock beat. Among these were Memphis, Wham! and Chicken Pickin. These recordings are said to have formed the leading edge of the virtuoso blues rock lead guitar genre. In 1979, music historian Richard T. Pinnell called 1963s Memphis a milestone of early rock guitar. In 1980, the editors of Guitar World magazine ranked Memphis first among rocks top five landmark guitar recordings. The pitch-bending tremolo arm found on some electric guitars reportedly became known as the whammy bar in recognition of Macks aggressive, rapid manipulation use of the device in 1963s Wham! Mack is widely regarded today as a pivotal historical figure in expanding the role of the electric guitar in rock music. Mack brought a strong gospel sensibility to his vocals, and is considered one of the finer early blue-eyed soul singers. Crediting both Macks vocals and his guitar solos, music critic Jimmy Guterman ranked Macks first album, The Wham of that Memphis Man!, No. 16 in his book The 100 Best Rock n Roll Records of All Time. Mack released several singles in the 1950s and 1960s. Between 1963 and 1990, he released thirteen original albums spanning a variety of genres. He enjoyed his greatest recognition as a blues-rock singer-guitarist, with especially productive periods during the 1960s and the latter half of the 1980s. Mack switched musical genres and idled his career as a rock artist for lengthy periods, due to an aversion to notoriety and a preference for simple country living. Here, Mack performs “Satisfy Susie” in 1986 at Carnegie Hall.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 07:53:40 +0000