Sideman Spotlight: Junior Mack
In March’s Sideman Spotlight, Nik Rodewald takes a look at the life and times of a sideman that has helped support many prominent artists of the Blues Rock genre. Today’s Sideman Spotlight focuses on guitarist Junior Mack.
According to guitarist/vocalist Junior Mack, anything is possible with persistence. “You’ve got all the time in the world to fiddle around and try to play,” says Mack, “It may seem like things are coming slow, but don’t give up. Just listen to everything you can get your hands on.” At fifty-two years of age, Mack is a relative newcomer to the New York blues scene, though it’s tough to tell by listening to his work with the Heritage Blues Orchestra and Jaimo’s Jassz Band.
Blues Roots
While Mack has always played music on the side, it wasn’t until recently that “the 9 to 5 went away and [he] found [himself] being a full-time musician.” Mack first became interested in the blues by listening to his uncle – who would often back up gospel quartets – play guitar. “When he was ripping really good and thought he was playing a really great riff, he would smile so wide…I can still see it now,” says Mack. Inspired by his uncle, Mack soon picked up the guitar and began making music, trying to emulate what he saw his uncle doing and what he heard from listening to Lightnin’ Hopkins and Freddy King on the radio.
As Mack began to grow musically, his influences broadened. He began listening to the Allman Brothers and to this day remains blown away by their album At Fillmore East. According to Mack, “that album taught me a lot about music.” While Mack remained primarily a rocker, his influences stretched into the jazz world when his neighbor turned him onto Wes Montgomery. Mack continues to be influenced by musicians of all genres and refuses to be bound by any specific genre saying, “Don’t be closed minded. Take in everything you can about music.” Mack admits his tastes are “all over the place” and cites an unexpected influence – Glen Campbell – saying, “The way he approaches a song is beautiful.”
Inspiration to Play
While always interested by music and playing, Mack didn’t always have the opportunity to play professionally. For most of his life, he has worked a job other than music and just played on the side when he could. Mack reminded himself how he felt when he heard great music and began a mission to try to bring that to other listeners, saying, “What I try to do when I play music is to take the listener to the place where I was when I really enjoyed music. I play to affect the listener.”
Hard Work Paying Off
Mack’s emboldened spirit and never-give-up attitude eventually paid off when he got opportunities to sit in with many different artists. Eventually, “the 9 to 5 went away” and Mack found himself an active musician in the New York Blues world. He eventually got some of his own gigs and began playing with several different groups. Currently, Mack plays guitar and sings with Jaimoe’s Jassz Band, headed by legendary Allman Brothers drummer Jaimoe. Additionally, Mack teamed up with Bill Sims Jr., to start the Heritage Blues Orchestra, and worked with them on their critically acclaimed debut album, And Still I Rise, released last month. Mack has also worked with The Allman Brothers Band, Derek Trucks, Robert Randolph, Dickey Betts, Chaka Khan, Magic Slim, Joe Louis Walker, Honeyboy Edwards, Phillip Walker, Lucky Peterson, Eddie Kirkland, Jeff Healy and many others.
Outside of Music
Outside of music, Mack loves food and he loves to cook. Most of all, he loves to serve food. According to Mack, “To me, cooking good food and serving it to people is like feeding them music. I love to see the enjoyment on peoples’ faces when all the right flavors come through,” Mack continues, “I get the same satisfaction out of music when I know others are enjoying it.” For Mack, it’s all about the audience, regardless of whether he’s serving up a tasty batch of ribs or a soulful set of blues, “I try to affect the listener. If I look out and nobody’s tapping their foot, then there’s a problem. We’ve got to present the music in a way that the listener understands where we’re coming from. Whatever it takes to serve the song, that’s what we’ve got to do.”
As the interview comes to a close, Mack issues a reminder to all younger players in the blues world: “You’ve got all the time in the world to fiddle around and try to play. It may seem like things are coming slow, but don’t give up. Listen to everything you can get your hands on. The more you hear, the more your mind will open up to expanding your style of playing.” After all, music is more than a job. It’s a work of art, a lifestyle and way of communicating. And it takes a lifetime to master. And nobody understands that more than Junior Mack.
Nik Rodewald
