From: "Dik de Heer" 
Date: Fri Oct 14, 2005  1:32 am
Subject: This Is My Story : Mack Self 	

MACK SELF

Born circa 1929, Calico Bottoms, Phillips County, Arkansas

Mack Self is one those unsung heroes at Sun Records whose
rockabilly was closer to the country end of the spectrum than the
rock 'n' roll one. Though he had a mere two singles released by
Sam Phillips, one on Sun and one on Phillips International, Sam
persevered with him over a period of some four years (1955-59).

Mack started making music (singing and playing the guitar) with
his friend C.W. Gatlin when he was 15. In 1955, after playing a
radio show on KXJK in Forrest City, Arkansas, deejay Hal Webber
persuaded him to record a demo of the song "Easy To Love", which
had received a lot of audience response. Mack recorded the song
with his band at the KXJK Studio and the tape found its way to Sam
Phillips, who invited him for an audition. Mack's first Sun session
produced a version of "Easy To Love" that was not completely to
Sam's satisfaction. A reworked version was recorded in March 1957
and released on Sun 273 in June 1957, coupled with "Every Day".
Both sides were hillbilly waltzes, too country for the rockabilly fan
and also too country for the crossover country market in 1957.
Moreover, Sam Phillips was now spending most of his promotional
budget on Jerry Lee Lewis. So it will come as no surprise that Mack's
single failed to do any business. Hank Davis, in his Bear Family
notes for "The Complete Sun Singles" project, has called Sun 273
"utterly gorgeous" and "beautiful in the old fashioned way".
Mack's second single was released in October 1959, on Phillips
International 3548. It combined "Mad At You" from a 1957 session
with "Willie Brown", which was recorded on August 15, 1959. "Mad
At You" is pure rockabilly, but an anachronism by the time it was
released. For some years, popular speculation had it that the harmony
singer on "Mad At You" was Charlie Feathers, but in the end it turned
out to be Jimmy Evans. "Willie Brown" was an ersatz folk tune, clearly
inspired by the Kingston Trio hit "Tom Dooley". A much better track
from that August 1959 session was "Lovin' Memories", which was
first released in 1986. Other originally unissued Sun cuts that have
since become available are "Goin'Crazy", the excellent "Vibrate",
"Little One" and "I've Got Pennies In My Pocket".
In 1962 and 1964, Mack recorded six songs for the Zone label in
Memphis, with producer Chips Moman. These were all country, as
were the recordings he made in the early 1970s for Twin Records.
Self quit the nightclub circuit in 1963, devoting his time to raising
his six children and to running his heating, air and sheet metal
business. In 1992, he returned to music, playing occasional dates
with his Silver Dollar Band. He lives in West Helena, Arkansas,
with his wife of 48 years, Hazel.

More info : http://www.rockabillyhall.com/MackSelf1.html

Mack's complete recordings have been collected on the CD "Vibrate"
(Gee Dee CD 270130-2, Germany) in 1997. 30 tracks, most of them
previously unissued. Almost all songs are Mack's own compositions.
http://rcs.law.emory.edu/rcs/comps/g/gee1907.htm

Dik