Mac Wiseman - 'Tis Sweet to Be Remembered

It's been a week for notable deaths in the music world. I will be paying tribute to the remarkable André Previn soon, but before I do, I want to mention the passing of the beloved bluegrass musician Mac Wiseman, whose career dates to the early days of the genre.

Born in 1925 in north central Virginia, early in his career Wiseman had been a sideman for Molly O'Day, then a founding member of Flatt & Scruggs' Foggy Mountain Boys and a member of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. This particular record captures Wiseman as a fledgling solo artist. He was one of Dot Records' first signings, and the album gathers 12 of his 1951-54 singles for that company.

Wiseman's high, clear voice was perfectly suited to the bluegrass genre, as is shown in his first record, "'Tis Sweet to Be Remembered," his 1951 take on a sentimental tune from 1902.

1953 Billboard ad touting many of the songs on this LP

Wiseman always was willing to try his hand at material from other types of music, and later in his career would chafe at being typed as a bluegrass artist. This compilation is squarely in the bluegrass realm, however, even though he brings in "Love Letters in the Sand," a 1931 pop song based on an 1881 melody. Wiseman's New York Times obituary states that his version of "Love Letters" was a cover of Pat Boone's hit record, but the opposite is true. Wiseman's dates from 1953, Boone's from 1957. Both were on Dot Records.

Wiseman recorded a great many LPs, and the songs on this 1957 compilation were later anthologized a number of times. I doubt, however, that many readers of this blog will be familiar with his artistry, so I wanted to bring him to your attention.

The recorded sound is good, although the pitch was quite sharp on several songs, which I have adjusted. My guess is that Dot increased the speed of some singles to give Wiseman even more of the high lonesome sound that is supposed to characterize bluegrass music.

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