ABOUT
Lonnie Mack (July 18, 1941 - April 21, 2016) was a highly acclaimed and pioneering rockabilly guitarist and singer-songwriter who became famous during the early 1960s. Best known for his smash instrumental rendition of the Chuck Berry-penned "Memphis" (1963), other top hits include "Wham!" (1963) which he performed many years later in 2008 at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's 93rd birthday salute to electric guitar pioneer, Les Paul.
Born Lonnie McIntosh in West Harrison, Indiana, he began playing the acoustic guitar at age 7 and began playing professionally in his early teens. By the late 1950s, he had adopted the stage name, "Mack," settled on his favorite instrument, a Gibson Flying V, and began to develop his distinctive style which combined blues and R&B with fast-paced "fingerstyle" techniques from bluegrass and traditional country. He also employed other innovative techniques that included the addition of vibrato with quick changes in the tension of the strings using a controlling lever known as a "whammy bar."
Widely acknowledged as a major and early influence in blues rock and virtuoso rock guitar solo performance, Mack inspired such top musicians as Jeff Beck, Dickie Betts, Eric Clapton, Ted Nugent, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, and Stevie Ray Vaughn. His numerous honors and accolades included being inducted into the International Guitar Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2005.
LINKS
- Rolling Stone remembers guitar great Lonnie Mack.
SHOP EXCLUSIVE RECORDINGS FOR LONNIE MACK
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SONGS
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Lonnie Mack
- Memphis 1963
(This instrumental song, which was written and first recorded by Chuck Berry in 1959 (sung version, as "Memphis, Tennessee"), later also became a hit for Johnny Rivers (1964, sung version).) - Wham! 1963
(Instrumental)
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