Lonnie Mack, American singer-guitarist, Died at 74

  Music

Lonnie McIntosh was born on July 18, 1941, and died on April 21, 2016.

He was known by his stage name, Lonnie Mack.

He was an American rock, blues, and country singer-guitarist.

As a highlighted artist, Mack’s recording career spanned the period from 1963 to 1990.

Lonnie Mack remained active as a performer into the early 2000s.

He played a major role in transforming the electric guitar into a lead voice in rock music.

Lonnie Mack was best known for his 1963 instrumentals, “Memphis” and “Wham!”, he has been called a rock-guitar “pioneer” and a “ground-breaker” in lead guitar soloing.

Himself and several other early guitar instrumentals, “he attacked the strings with fast, aggressive single-string phrasing and a seamless rhythm style”.

However, those particular tunes are said to have formed the leading edge of the virtuoso “blues rock” lead guitar genre.

Lonnie guitar recordings were a significant influence on many prominent rock guitarists, including Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, Duane Allman, Dickie Betts and Ted Nugent.

Reported by Guitar World magazine, Mack’s early solos influenced every major rock-guitar soloist from the 1960s through the 1980s, from “Clapton to Allman to Vaughan” and “from Nugent to Bloomfield”.

Lonnie Mack was also considered one of the finer “blue-eyed soul” singers of his era.

During 2000, he appeared as a guest artist on the album Franktown Blues, by the sons of blues legend Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup.
He provided guitar solos on two cuts, “She’s Got The Key” and “Jammin’ For James”

Lonnie Mack passed away at 74 yrs old.