Across the Blue Ridge #60 - Mac Wiseman, 91-year-old star with a new album

Mac Wiseman is one of the last of the original generation of bluegrass players.  And he's much more than that.  He's a farm boy-turned-musician, a polio victim who learned guitar while recovering from the childhood operation that let him walk correctly, an ambitious figure who could hold his own as a solo act in the bluegrass world when others needed full band backup.  He also has been one of the most effective music producers in bluegrass, country and pop, and helped found two organizations promoting bluegrass and country music.  At 91, he sings as well as ever, and has just released an album of songs telling his life story.  Collaborators include John Prine, Sierra Hull, Milan Miller and many more.  Hear some of the new music from the album, some earlier Mac Wiseman favorites, and excerpts from our host Paul Brown's interview with Mac at his Nashville home in 2016.  Also on the show: music of Tommy Jackson, Molly O'Day, Bill Monroe, The Slate Mountain Ramblers and more.

Episode 60 playlist

1. Tomahawk
   Tommy Jackson
   Square Dance Tonight
    
2. Born Ramblin' Man
   Balsam Range
   Papertown
    
3. Going Home
   Slate Mountain Ramblers
   Family Tradition
    
4. The Sound Of The Whip-Poor-Will
   Beverly Smith & John Grimm
   The Sound Of The Whip-Poor-Will
    
5. Cabin of Love
   Bill Monroe
   In The Pines
    
6. Little Home In Tennessee
   Mac Wiseman
   Classic Bluegrass
    
7. Polk County Breakdown
   Tommy Jackson
   Square Dance Tonight
    
8. Break 1 - Dusty Miller
   Paul Warren
   Paul Warren With Lester Flatt
    
9. Wabash Cannonball
   Mac Wiseman
   Early Dot Recordings Volume 2
    
10. Shackles & Chains
    Mac Wiseman
    Early Dot Recordings Volume 2
     
11. Barefoot Till After The Frost
    Mac Wiseman & Jim Lauderdale
    I Sang The Song
     
12. The Guitar
    Mac Wiseman, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses
    I Sang The Song
     
13. Six More Miles
    Molly O'Day & Mac Wiseman
    Molly O'Day and the Cumberland Mountain Folks
     
14. Break 2 - Sally Ann
    The Strange Creek Singers
    The Strange Creek Singers
     
15. Manganese Mine
    Mac Wiseman & Shawn Camp
    I Sang The Song
     
16. I'm Going To Make Heaven My Home
    Flatt & Scruggs
    1947-1959 Volume 1
     
17. When The Roses Bloom Again
    Mac Wiseman
    Classic Bluegrass
     
18. When I Get The Money Made
    Mac Wiseman
    Early Dot Recordings Volume 3