From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Thu May 23, 2002  1:13 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Mac Wiseman
 
MAC WISEMAN (By Shaun Mather)

Born Malcolm B. Wiseman, 23 May 1925, Waynesboro, Virginia

Banjo player / guitarist / singer.
Bluegrass legend Wiseman has enjoyed a long, prolific career which has
also seen him branch out from bluegrass to cut some folk, pop and even
some rockabilly (like Step It Up And Go).
Crippled with polio at an early age, Wiseman decided to try for a career
in music as an alternative to farming. Starting out as a dee-jay on WSVA,
Harrisburg, he made his first record in 1949, Travellin' Down This Lonesome
Road with Bill Monroe. Before Monroe, he had worked with Molly O'Day's
group as a featured singer, and with Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs.
After signing with Dot in 1955, his first chart success came with his version
of The Ballad Of Davy Crockett (# 10 country), which set the scene for a few
years away from bluegrass music. In 1957 he became Dot's country A&R man
in Hollywood where he produced, among others, Bob Denton and Leroy Van
Dyke. Another country hit on Dot (# 5) was Jimmy Brown The Newsboy in
1959. In the '60s he recorded for Capitol and RCA Victor for whom he hit
with the novelty number ( If I Had) Johnny's Cash And Charley's Pride.
He has continued to be a featured performer at bluegrass festivals across
the States and narrated the acclaimed bluegrass documentary, High
Lonesome in 1992. He was inducted into the Bluegrass Hall Of Fame in 1993.

Recommended listening:
Early Dot Recordings Vols 1-3
Teenage Hangout - Bear Family
More info: http://www.groovegrass.com/mac.html