Malcolm Bell Wiseman (May 23, 1925 – February 24, 2019) was an American
bluegrass and
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
singer.
Early life
He was born on May 23, 1925, in
Crimora, Virginia
Crimora is a census-designated place (CDP) in Augusta County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,209 at the 2010 census, a 23% increase from the 1,796 reported in 2000. It is part of the Staunton– Waynesboro Micropolitan Statistica ...
.
He attended school in
New Hope, Virginia, and graduated from high school there in 1943. He had
polio
Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...
from the age of six months;
due to his disabilities, he could not do field work and spent his time in childhood listening to old records.
He studied at the
Shenandoah Conservatory
Shenandoah University is a private university in Winchester, Virginia. It has an enrollment of approximately 4,000 students across more than 200 areas of study in six schools: College of Arts & Sciences (including the Division of Education and Le ...
in
Dayton, Virginia
Dayton is a town in Rockingham County, Virginia, United States. The population is 1,530 as of the 2010 census. It is included in the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Dayton is located at (38.416323, -78.939440). The ...
, before it moved to
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is the most north western independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester wit ...
, in 1960 and started his career as a disc jockey at
WSVA-AM in
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is also the county seat of the surrounding Rockingham County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. At the 2 ...
.
Music career
His musical career began as upright bass player in the Cumberland Mountain Folks, the band of country singer
Molly O'Day
Molly O'Day (born Suzanne Dobson Noonan; October 16, 1909 – October 22, 1998) was an American film actress and the younger sister of Sally O'Neil.
Biography
Born in Bayonne, New Jersey, she was the youngest of 11 children of Judge Tho ...
.
When
Lester Flatt
Lester Raymond Flatt (June 19, 1914 – May 11, 1979) was an American bluegrass guitarist and mandolinist, best known for his collaboration with banjo picker Earl Scruggs in the duo Flatt and Scruggs.
Flatt's career spanned multiple decades, ...
and
Earl Scruggs
Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-fin ...
left Bill Monroe's band, Wiseman became the guitarist for their new band, the
Foggy Mountain Boys
Flatt and Scruggs were an American bluegrass duo. Singer and guitarist Lester Flatt and banjo player Earl Scruggs, both of whom had been members of Bill Monroe's band, the Bluegrass Boys, from 1945 to 1948, formed the duo in 1948. Flatt and Scr ...
.
Later he played with
Bill Monroe
William Smith "Bill" Monroe (; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass".
The genre take ...
's Bluegrass Boys.
In 1951, his first solo single, "'Tis Sweet to Be Remembered", was released. According to ''Rolling Stone'' this song "catapulted him to solo stardom".
He was co-founder of the
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enha ...
(CMA) and was its last living co-founder.
In 1958, the original CMA board was formed with help from Wiseman to save the popularity of country music from rock & roll.
He also served as the first secretary of CMA.
From 1966 to 1970, Wiseman served as director of the ''
WWVA Jamboree
The ''Wheeling Jamboree'' is the second oldest country music radio broadcast in the United States after the ''Grand Ole Opry''. The Jamboree originated in 1933 in Wheeling, West Virginia on WWVA (AM), WWVA, the first radio station in West Virginia ...
''.
In 1986 he co-founded the
International Bluegrass Music Association
The International Bluegrass Music Association, or IBMA, is a trade association to promote bluegrass music.
Formed in 1985, IBMA established its first headquarters in Owensboro, Kentucky. In 1988 they announced plans to create the International ...
(IBMA) which was another influential bluegrass music body.
Wiseman was referred to by a
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
as "The Voice with a Heart", a title which became popular among his fans.
He was popular for his interpretations of songs on
Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label founded by Randy Wood (record producer), Randy Wood and Gene Nobles that was active between 1950 and 1978. The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee. In 1956, the company moved ...
such as "Shackles and Chains", "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight", "Jimmy Brown the Newsboy", and "Love Letters in the Sand".
In 2014, he released an album of songs inspired by his mother's handwritten notebooks of songs she heard on the radio when Wiseman was a child: ''Songs From My Mother's Hand''.
He died in
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
on February 24, 2019.
The cause of death was kidney failure.
Awards and honors
In 1993 he was inducted into the
International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor
Induction to the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, called the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor from its creation in 1991 through 2006, is managed by the International Bluegrass Music Association, and the Hall itself is mainta ...
.
Wiseman was a recipient of a 2008
National Heritage Fellowship
The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's h ...
awarded by the
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
, which is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.
In 2014 he became part of the ''Veteran Era'' category of the
Country Music Hall of Fame
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amass ...
, as "an artist who achieved national prominence more than 45 years ago".
Selected discography
Albums
Notable singles
References
External links
*
Mac Wiseman Biography
Mac or MAC most commonly refers to:
* Mac (computer), a family of personal computers made by Apple Inc.
* Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth
* A variant of the word macaroni, mostly used in the name of the dish mac and cheese
* Mac, ...
Mac Wiseman InterviewNAMM Oral History Library (2004)
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiseman, Mac
1925 births
2019 deaths
Bluegrass musicians from Virginia
American country singer-songwriters
People from Augusta County, Virginia
Dot Records artists
Singer-songwriters from Virginia
National Heritage Fellowship winners
Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
Foggy Mountain Boys members