At 89, most artists would ride off into retirement, especially following the announcement of being inducted into a second hall of fame. However, Mac Wiseman is no ordinary artist. A long-time member of the Bluegrass Hall of Honor and scheduled to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this fall, Mac Wiseman is a true living legend in roots music. Having worn many hats in the music industry, including performer, label exec, and businessman, Mac is still hungry to make great music as he approaches ninety. Mac is still just as creative as ever, and the “Voice With A Heart” still rings true today.
Mac’s last album was a 2007 collaboration with John Prine, and it was announced earlier this year that Mac and Merle Haggard should have a duet album out before too long. Before we hear from Mac & Merle though, Mac will have a new album for us to enjoy on September 23.
Arguably his most personal record yet, Songs From My Mother’s Hand is sure to intrigue any roots music fan. Growing up in the hills of Virginia in the thirties, Mac and his mother would listen intently to the family’s old radio. In the days before recorded music became “the norm,” radio shows were performed live. Mac’s mother would keep a composition book by the radio, and if she heard a song she liked, she would write down the lyrics as she heard them through the family radio. It is from these old, tattered composition books that Mac learned his first songs, from his mother’s hand. Now, roughly eighty years later, Mac has recorded an album paying homage to the songs his mother wrote out for him as a child.
Songs From My Mother’s Hand features Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Mark Fain, Jimmy Capps, and more alongside Mac. Wrinkled Records released this insightful video about the album, the story, and the music.
Be on the look out for Mac Wiseman’s Songs From My Mother’s Hands, due September 23 on Wrinkled Records. Pre-orders are now available on iTunes. Autographed CD’s will be available for purchase at www.wrinkledrecords.com beginning August 5.
