Mac Wiseman

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 2014, he released an 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.

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".

Wiseman was a recipient of a 2008 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

In 2014 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

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

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

2017 I Sang the Songs Mountain Fever Songs based on stories related in Wiseman’s recent autobiography

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 Records 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 Records 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