Lonnie Mack
Lonnie Mack described his music as “a little bit of everything. There’s a country, blues, rock ’n’ roll, all the way down to some bluegrass and a little Cajun with some uptown jazzy stuff mixed in.” No matter the genre, it was clear that Mack, who was born Lonnie McIntosh in West Harrison, Indiana, on July 18, 1941, was a guitarist’s guitarist. His first two singles, 1963’s “Memphis” and “Wham!,” laid the groundwork for blues-rock and influenced generations of players, including Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Duane Allman, Dickey Betts, and, most notably, Stevie Ray Vaughan, who co-produced Mack’s 1985 comeback album, Strike Like Lightning. (via: PremireGuitar)
Although notable commercial success was periodic and fleeting, Mack’s early-’60s recordings became rock guitar trendsetters. They raised the bar for rock guitar proficiency, helped propel the electric guitar to the top of soloing instruments in rock, and were prototypes for the genres of blues-rock and Southern rock.
Blues is a musical genre known as the folklore of African-American musicians. Its origins are associated with the southern states of the USA, that is the region conventionally called the “deep south”. The very name of the genre (sadness, despair) is related to its nostalgic form, also in the textual layer. Blues pieces touch male-female relationships as well as feelings and emotions (love, loneliness, faithfulness, jealousy). However, blues performers often sing about freedom, work and travel. The songs also feature social criticism relating mainly to racial inequality and political issues.
Many artists are inspired by blues music and combine it with other styles. In this way, such musical mergers as punk blues, soul blues or blues rock. The popularity of this genre in the USA has led to the emergence of regional varieties, such as Louisiana, New Orleans, Texas and Detroit blues. There are also factions characteristic of other countries – British blues and African blues.
