Mac Wiseman " 'Tis Sweet To Be Remembered" (Dot Records, 1957) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Beside The Still Waters" (Dot Records, 1959) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Great Folk Ballads" (Dot Records, 1959) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Sings 12 Great Hits" (Dot Records, 1960) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Keep On The Sunny Side" (Dot Records, 1960) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Best Loved Gospel Hymns" (Dot Records, 1961) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Fireball Mail" (Dot Records, 1961) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Bluegrass Favorites" (Capitol Records, 1963) (LP)
The lone album released during Wiseman's 1962-64 stint on Capitol (a second album was shelved after Beatlemania struck American shores, sidelining many of Capitol's non-rock acts. It was later to be released on CD, decades later...) It's a nice, relatively subdued set, featuring assists by Buck Trent, Chubby Wise, Ray Edenton and other fine pickers of the day. Interesting transitional step from his sublime '50s material and later efforts on Dot and various indie labels.
Mac Wiseman "At The Toronto Horseshoe Club" (Wise Records, 1965) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Sincerely" (Hamilton Records, 1966) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "This Is Mac Wiseman" (Dot Records, 1966) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "A Master At Work" (Dot Records, 1966) (LP)
Mac Wiseman & The Osborne Brothers "Bluegrass" (Dot Records, 1966) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Songs Of The Dear Old Days" (Hamilton Records, 1966) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Sings Old Time Country Favorites" (Rural Rhythm Records, 1966) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Mac Wiseman" (Hilltop Records, 1967) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "...Sings Johnny's Cash & Charley's Pride" (RCA Victor, 1970) (LP)
Mac Wiseman & Lester Flatt "Lester 'N' Mac" (RCA Victor, 1971) (LP)
Mac Wiseman & Lester Flatt "On The South Bound" (RCA Victor, 1972) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Singing Country Favorites" (Rural Rhythm Records, 1973) (LP)
Mac Wiseman & Lester Flatt "Over The Hills To The Poorhouse" (RCA Victor, 1973) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Concert Favorites" (RCA Victor, 1973) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Country Music Memories" (CMH Records, 1976) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "New Traditions, v.1" (Vetco Records, 1976) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "New Traditions, v.2" (Vetco Records, 1977) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Sings Gordon Lightfoot" (CMH Records, 1977) (LP)
Mac Wiseman & The Osborne Brothers "The Essential Bluegrass Album" (CMH Records, 1979) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Songs That Made The Jukebox Play" (CMH Records, 1980) (LP)
Mac Wiseman & Chubby Wise "Mac And Chubby Live At Gilley's" (Gilley's Records, 1982) (LP)
Mac Wiseman & Merle Travis "The Clayton McMichen Story" (CMH Records, 1982) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Live In Concert" (Country Road Records, 1982) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Grassroots To Bluegrass" (CMH, 1982) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "If Teardrops Were Pennies" (51 West Records, 1984)
Mac Wiseman "Mac Wiseman" (MCA/Dot Records, 1986) (LP)
A fascinating later album, with several contending influences that blend together quite nicely. First, there's Wiseman's own brand of truegrass cool -- he's an old-timer who never lost his edge, and even though you have to be willing to look past his (slightly) diminished vocal presence on here, the songs are all great, and the performances are uniformly solid, stamped with a sincerity and authenticity that is sorely lacking in so much of modern country. Alongside the old pro is '70s "outlaw" icon Tompall Glaser, whose studio this was recorded in, and whose influence is felt both in the weary, boozy, cynical emotional tone and in the song repertoire, which includes offbeat country selections such as "Once More With Feeling," a Kris Kristofferson/Shel Silverstein classic best known through Jerry Lee Lewis's superb version, and Smiley Sutter's "Best Of All Leading Brands," two fine examples of recycled '70s gems. There are also some great weepers and oldies, and here Wiseman is aided by the late, great John Hartford, who plunks some banjo, picks some guitar and doubtless helped 'em all keep it real. Although the tempo feels lethargic, the music is great. Definitely worth checking out.
Mac Wiseman "Number One Christmas" (Power Pak Records, 1994)
Doc Watson/Del McCoury/Mac Wiseman "Del, Doc & Mac" (Sugar Hill Records, 1998)
A swell collaboration between three of the most authentic, most moving, and most important traditional artists in the bluegrass/old-timey firmament. Each takes his turn singing, with accompaniment that is nothing less than stellar, and the results are precious and magical... Doc Watson was sounding kind of old on here, but still drenched with soulfulness and warmth, and Wiseman and Del McCoury remain as potent as ever... A very nice record... highly recommended!
Mac Wiseman/Bobby Osborne/Jim Silvers "Three Tenors Of Bluegrass" (CMH Records, 2000)
Mac Wiseman "Letter Edged In Black" (Music Mill, 2001)
Mac Wiseman "Just Because" (Music Mill, 2001)
Mac Wiseman "Maple On The Hill" (Music Mill, 2001)
Mac Wiseman & Brother Oswald "Shares Precious Memories" (Music Mill, 2001)
Mac Wiseman "First Recorded Live Concert" (Music Mill, 2001)
Mac Wiseman "The Lost Album" (Music Mill, 2003)
Mac Wiseman "15 Of My Grandma's Favorites" (Music Mill, 2005)
Mac Wiseman "15 Of My Gospel Favorites" (Music Mill, 2005)
Mac Wiseman & John Prine "Standard Songs For Average People" (Oh Boy Records, 2007)
When you see these two guys together, and then hear them singing in such perfect synch, a lightbulb will pop up above your head and you'll think, Oh, of course...!! Duh!! Although even the youthful John Prine always had a limited vocal range, the expressiveness and depth of feeling he's poured into his every performance has a lot in common with bluegrass elder Mac Wiseman, a superior tenor stylist who knew how to wring not just sentiment, but real, moving feeling out of all the songs he tackled. Here, they swap verses on a flock of their favorite songs, a delightful set of country and pop oldies, stuff ranging from hard country tunes like "Pistol Packin' Mama" and "I Love You Because" and a mellowed version of Charlie Feathers/Elvis kookazoid rockabilly oldie, "I Forgot To Remember To Forget" to fanciful covers of pop standards such as Patti Page's hit, "Old Cape Cod" and Bing Crosby's "Where The Blue Of The Night (Meets The Gold Of The Day)"... It's a wonderful nostalgia trip, with two loveable old farts crooning their hearts out, in a delightful musical and cultural unison. The spirit of this album is perfectly captured in their version of the Bob Wills evergreen, "Don't Be Ashamed Of Your Age"; if you like heartsongs and sentiment sung with feeling, then this disc'll be a real treat.
Mac Wiseman "Bluegrass Tradition" (Gusto Records, 2007)
Mac Wiseman "Old Likker In A New Jug" (Wise Records, 2008)
Mac Wiseman "Waiting For The Boys To Come Home" (Wise Records, 2008)
Mac Wiseman "Bluegrass Hits And Heartsongs" (Rebel Records, 2009)
Mac Wiseman "Bluegrass 1971" (Rural Rhythm Records, 2010)
Mac Wiseman "Songs From My Mother's Hand" (Wrinkled Records, 2014)
Mac Wiseman & Merle Haggard "Timeless" (Wise Records, 2008)
Mac Wiseman "Sincerely, Mac Wiseman" (Hamilton Records, 1964) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Golden Hits Of Mac Wiseman" (Dot Records, 1968) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "16 Great Performances" (ABC Records, 1974) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "The Mac Wiseman Story" (CMH Records, 1976) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Golden Classics" (Gusto Records, 1979) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Bluegrass Gold - Greatest Bluegrass Hits" (CMH Records, 1982) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Early Dot Recordings, v.1" (County Records, 1981) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Early Dot Recordings, v.2" (County Records, 1982) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "24 Greatest Hits" (Tee Vee Records, 1986)
Mac Wiseman "24 Greatest Hits" (Highland/Tee Vee Records, 1987)
Later recordings by this once-revered bluegrass tenor... These tracks are a bit prissy and restrained, but they'll have to do since his classic mid-Fifties recordings are still mysteriously way out of print. The (non-existant) liner notes don't say when these tracks were recorded, but I'd guess in the late 1970s or somewhere around then, as the band lopes through some fattened, countrified licks and swoop about a bit more than you might expect... and the drums will make a few truegrass purists cringe. But Wiseman's voice sounds as great as ever -- distinctive and inviting!
Mac Wiseman "Classic Bluegrass" (Rebel Records, 1989)
It's a pity -- a crime, actually -- that Mac Wiseman's truly classic performances from the early 1950s remain out of print, in some sort of inter-label limbo, with the best material now almost impossible to find. In fact, this great album, which is a fine set of early '70s re-recordings made for the Vetco label, is also out of print, although with luck and persistence you may be able to track it down. You might think that Wiseman, tackling these tunes two decades after the fact, would have faltered a bit, but thankfully such was not the case. His tenor was still as sweet, the picking still as precise, the music every bit as lovely as it was when he set the bar for candy-coated hilltop harmonies, 'way back in his early years as a solo performer. Long one of my favorite bluegrassers, Wiseman is a treat to discover. Hopefully his best work will be available again soon!
Mac Wiseman "Early Dot Recordings, Vol. 3" (County Records, 1994)
In his prime, tenor vocalist and sweet superpicker Mac Wiseman was one of the greatest and most heartfelt bluegrass performers. He had a great stint with Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys at the end of the 1940s, then early in the 1950s set out on his own, recording some of the best bluegrass of that golden decade. This CD is, mysteriously, the only one of three volumes of his classic '50s material still in print, and includes such gorgeous classics as "Sweeter Than Honey," "Don't Blame It All On Me" and "I Still Write Your Name In The Sand." If you like sweet-sounding heart songs and restrained, elegant playing, then this disc is for you. Don't hesitate to snap it up.
Mac Wiseman "Rare Singles And Radio Transcriptions" (Cowgirlboy Records, 1992) (LP)
Mac Wiseman "Teenage Hangout" (Bear Family Records, 1993)
Mac Wiseman "20 Old Time Country Favorites" (Rural Rhythm Records, 1997)
Mac Wiseman "Mac Wiseman Sings Gospel, Vol. 1" (Music Mill, 2001)
Mac Wiseman "Mac Wiseman Sings Gospel, Vol. 2" (Music Mill, 2001)
Mac Wiseman "At The Toronto Horseshoe Club" (Music Mill/Wise Records, 2001)
Mac Wiseman "The Most Requested" (CMH Records, 2001)
Mac Wiseman "The Heart Of A Legend" (Madacy Records, 2002)
Mac Wiseman "The Singles" (Music Mill, 2003)
His Capitol singles, including B-sides...
Mac Wiseman "Tis Sweet To Be Remembered -- Complete Recordings: 1951-1964" (Bear Family Records, 2004)
A 6-CD set (!) reissuing material from his Dot and Capitol recordings... Prime material from the 1950s and early '60s... Whew! How cool!
Mac Wiseman "Precious Moments" (Brentwood Records, 2005)
Mac Wiseman "The Best Of Mac Wiseman – Essential Original Masters" (Rural Rhythm Records, 2006)
Mac Wiseman "On Susan's Floor" (Bear Family Records, 2006)
A 4-CD set...
Mac Wiseman "Bluegrass Hits And Heartsongs" (Rebel Records, 2009)
(Produced by Lou Ukelson & Fred Bartelstein)
Beautiful bluegrass. Mac Wiseman is one of my favorite bluegrass old-timers -- a sweet singer with an unerring sense of how to bring out the emotional core of the sentimental lyrics, and a classy sense of timing that always brings a nice little twist to his records. This disc collects fourteen tracks from a couple of albums he made for the independent Vetco label in the 1970s; for these sessions Wiseman went back to his classic recordings of the early 'Fifties and revived a bunch of his favorite songs... It'll come as no surprise to longtime fans that these tracks are uniformly lively and gorgeous; even well into his golden years, Wiseman was always a first-rate performer, singing with great warmth and gusto. If you haven't heard his stuff before, this is a great chance to delve into Wiseman's legacy. Recommended!
Mac Wiseman "The Mac Wiseman Story" (CMH Records/Music Mill, 2012)
This 6-CD set reissues over 150 songs from Wiseman's CMH albums, from 1976-2001...
Mac Wiseman (1925-2019) was one of the all-time greats from the golden age of classic bluegrass. From an early gig backing mountain music singer Molly O'Day, Wiseman landed a spot in the original 1946 lineup of Flatt & Scruggs's Foggy Mountain Boys. Wiseman also did some time with Bill Monroe before emerging as a solo star, following the success of his version of "Love Letters In The Sand," a song that perfectly showcased his sweet, clear tenor and strong, confident sense of melody. Wiseman was one of the bluegrass elders who were embraced by the 'Sixties folk movement, and during the '70s was a standard bearer of traditional musical values. Following the breakup of the Flatt & Scruggs duo, He also became a frequent collaborator of Lester Flatt, cutting several fine albums with him in the early '70s. Here's a look at his career...
