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2014 SESSION

14104986D
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 156
Offered February 20, 2014
Commending Mac Wiseman.
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Patrons-- Hanger and Smith
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WHEREAS, Mac Wiseman, a native of Crimora in Augusta County and a legendary bluegrass artist whose work includes “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” and “Jimmy Brown The Newsboy,” has made lasting contributions to the cultural landscape of the Commonwealth and the United States; and

WHEREAS, Mac Wiseman was 12 when he got his first guitar; after attending the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music, now known as Shenandoah University, he worked at WSVA radio in Harrisonburg and later worked at stations in Roanoke, Bristol, Richmond, Knoxville, and Atlanta; and

WHEREAS, Mac Wiseman’s first recordings were made in Chicago in 1946 with Molly O’Day, where he sang backup and played bass; two years later, he joined the Foggy Mountain Boys band, and in 1949, he made his solo debut on the Grand Ole Opry radio show in Nashville; and

WHEREAS, with a recording career that spanned more than 50 years, Mac Wiseman’s distinctive flat-top guitar picking style and rhythmic guitar sounds, along with his high-lonesome melodic tenor voice, have appealed to musicians and music lovers for many decades; and

WHEREAS, in addition to being a timeless country musician, Mac Wiseman possessed business skills; he was a producer for Dot Records, working with Reno & Smiley, Bonnie Guitar, Jimmy C. Newman, and other performers; he also helped bring some well-known performing venues back into profitability; and

WHEREAS, Mac Wiseman has performed at folk festivals, clubs, and on college campuses, enabling younger generations of music lovers to appreciate his music; his Country Boys band has included artists such as Josh Graves, J. D. Crowe, and Eddie Adcock; and

WHEREAS, now approaching his seventh decade as a singer, guitarist, and band leader, Mac Wiseman has toured and recorded over the years with some of music’s biggest stars, including Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels, Leona Williams, April Verch, John Prine, and Merle Haggard; and

WHEREAS, keenly interested in preserving old-time American roots music, Mac Wiseman has recorded such almost-forgotten classics as “I Wonder How The Old Folks Are At Home” and “’Tis Sweet To Be Remembered”; and

WHEREAS, Mac Wiseman is a member of the Virginia Country Music Hall of Fame and has been honored with a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Virginia native Mac Wiseman as one of the country’s legendary musicians and for his many contributions to American music; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Mac Wiseman, an esteemed Virginian, as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect and admiration for his talent, his work with fellow musicians, and his efforts to preserve old-time American music.