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MACK SELF, A GREAT ARKANSAS ROCKABILLY CAT IS GONE 
I am goin' crazy! Mack Self from West Helena (Arkansas) who headlined the 11th Rockabilly Rave from 21st to 25th of June 2007 in England, passed away on June 14, 2011. Almost four years after his first overseas gig he was bound to meet again his friend Billy Riley. One record on "Sun" (June 57) and another on "Phillips International" (Oct. 59) were enough to madke him a "Sun" legend on our side of the ocean and to win his nomination on the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Mack was a kind and gentle man with a good sense of humor. He probably would have been more famous if he would have gone on the road back in those days. But, he was home body and hated to leave his family. Mack died the same day that his wife came home from her surgery, So they got say goodbye. He was a guy each of us would surely love to hug. If he doesn't get to Hillbilly heaven, than nobody else will. His buddies Ben*Ben Adler, Ralph Jones and C.W. Gatlin were honorary pallbearers at his funeral set on June 18, 2011. But, let me tell you're more about Mack Self and its early days way back in the 30's after the great depression.Wiley Laverne "Mack" Self, from Scandinavian ancestors, was born in Calico Bottom, AR, on May 22, 1930 and started out playing guitar when he was about seven years old after his Mama bought him a Sears and Roebuck guitar. His father played the fiddle and his mother played the guitar. Listening to the radio shows and hearing Roy Acuff or Ernest Tubb lead him to begin music professionally around 1945 with Henry Henderson. After a stunt in the US Army, around 1949, he started to play with David Jackson and the Arkansas Cotton Choppers who had a radio program on KFFA radio, Helena. That radio was the first to serve the community of Helena started to broadcast in November 1941 giving exposure a such great blues men as Sonny Boy Williamson, Pinetop Perkins and Robert Nighthawk. Another band member know by the name of Harold Jenkins will became famous as Conway Twitty few years later. The band played mostly country music from Hank Williams or Bill Monroe repertoire until this thing called Rock and Roll came around. Around 1952, Mack Self had started to play with another band called Johnny Farmer and the Farm Hands who had a spot on KXJK, Forrest City (AR). The "Sun" artists would all play through Helena, not far from Memphis, and here Mack met Elvis on December 2, 1954. Elvis played for the first time at Helena's Catholic club with Jim Ed & Maxine Brown. 500 Tickets were priced at 75 cents and Elvis got the regular $12 Musicians Union money. That show was booked by Sunshine Sonny Paine and Larry Parker. Wish I could have been there ... Elvis would be back there again on Jan 13th, 1955 with Leon Post and Sonny Trammel, two Louisiana Hayride regulars, and Howard Seratt who had the great "Troublesome Waters" issued on Sun 198 in February 1954. The very same month, Howard will leave Memphis for West Palm Beach, Florida, and his Sun days were over. In March 8th, 1955, Elvis was back with Betty Amos and Jimmy Work who recorded "Tennessee Border" and "Makin' Believe". The last performance done by Elvis in Helena was held in December 15, 1955 with Carl Perkins. If Mack's memories were right, Johnny Cash was there too and Mack played himself a song for the 300 people attendance. Later, Mack got an offer to do the Louisiana Hayride but he had a sheet metal business already goin' and didn't want to waste time for the $18.00 union scale money. At KXJK radio, convinced by a dee-jay/radio salesman named Brother Hal (Harold) Webber, Mack made a tape of one of his songs titled "Easy To Love" in later part of 1955. The tape came to Bill Cantrell and, later, to Sam Phillips who set up an audition before the end of the year. Mack came in with two songs, "Easy To Love" and "Goin' Crazy" and got mad when Sam asked for more stuff because he thought two songs are enough for an old 45 rpm's. A demo of "Got You On My Mind", often credited to Ernie Chaffin, was also cut at an unknown date and maybe on those early days. "Goin' Crazy", "Mad At You" and "Easy To Love" were tried quite a few times in 1955 and 1956 before Sam was satisfied. In June 1957, Sam issued " Easy To Love" with "Everyday", from a March 28, 1957 session, on Sun 273. On those first sessions, Mack was backed by Thurlow Brown (gtr), Jimmy Ray Paulman (gtr), Johnny Bernero (drums), J.M Van Eaton (drums), Bill Cantrell (fdl) and Jimmy Evans, himself a great singer, on bass. In search of a more fuller sound, Sam will sometime use Stan Kesler (steel gtr), W.S Holland from Carl Perkins band (drums) or Roland James from Billy Lee Riley band (gtr). "Easy To Love" carries the same Hillbilly style than Charlie Feathers "Peppin' Eyes" or Carl Perkins "Sure To Fall" issued on "Sun" brother label "Flip". Various songs, from 1956, stayed in the vaults like an earlier version of "Mad at You" or "Goin' Crazy". "Goin' Crazy" first issued in the early 80's by "Charly Records" on a superb series of 10 inchers (CFM 509 - Hillbilly Rock) is a fabulous stompin' country song that was enjoyed every lover of the style with those lines "You got me barkin' like a dog/rootin' like a hog/skinning saplings/eatin' paw paws". Another try at "Mad at You", a great boppin' duet with Jimmy Evans, was recorded in March 28, 1957 stating "My cow's gone dry/the hens won't lay"... That's for sure Hillbilly statements. On that song, the second vocal part is often wrongly credited to Charlie Feathers. No Siree, that's Jimmy Evans who recorded fabulous sides for "Clearmont" and "Shimmy". Jimmy who worked in Conway Twitty and Ronnie Hawkins bands, playing bass, stand as a Rockabilly legend by himself. Sadly, his health is not that good too. Still in 1957, various tries were done on "Lovin' Memories" with the support of Al Hopson (lead gtr), Sid Manker (rthm gtr), Will Hopson (bs), Jimmy Lott (dms) and Martin Willis (sax). That song from Mack Self's pen worked right for hillbilly rock backing. Another take of "Lovin' Memories" was worked out in August 15, 1959 but stayed in the vaults until 1985 when issued on the Charly/Sun LP 1031 "Country Rock Sides" as "Love Love Memory" with the issued take of "Mad At You". In 1958, Mack meets his wife to be Hazel in a teen club in Monroe. A session in January 4, 1958 produced "Vibrate" and "Little One", two great songs with strong backing and wild delivery. "Vibrate" should have made it a hit and was a winner when issued on the Charly LP CFM 509. That song was re-issued few years ago on 45 rpm's by "Norton" records from New-York. And it sold well with his great looking 50's sleeve... So, we can't understand why it was not until August 15, 1959 that a session gave birth to a new record. On that session, Mack cut "Willie Brown" with the support of Roland Janes (gtr), Jimmy Evans (bs), W.S Holland (dms), Jimmy Wilson (pno) and Martin Willis (sax). That song was issued with "Mad at You" on Philips International 3548. That's the second and last record by Mack Self issued by Sam Phillips. But, with the raise of Jerry Lee Lewis, some troubles were goin' on with the Sun label and lead to Warren Smith and Mack Self's departure. Sam Phillips was pushing hard the Jerry Lee Lewis stuff and that left little money to put toward anyone else. Sam didn't want even ship out Billy Lee Riley records when his sides were too hot to keep him locked as "studio band". Those small cats had the misfortune of appearing on "Sun" when Jerry Lee, Charlie Rich and Carl Mann were the emerging sellers and cash providers. So, thinking Sam was not goin' to do anything for him, Mack left the label after a last session in 1960 set at the Madison Avenue Studio. Shortly before Mack had cut four songs at the Sonic Studio in Memphis. Those recordings and two other cuts at the same studio the following year are still unissued. In 1962, Mack made a session at the Hi Studio and cut "Bridges" and "Yesrterday's Gone" issued only in 2007 by Bear Family. Next Mack went to record at the American Sound studio for Marshall Ellis "Zone" records label located in Memphis. Here he had a first record produced by Chips Norman "That Mexican Limbo"/"You Put These Tears in My Eyes" (Zone 1062), a first try on "River of Love" was done in 1963 but not issued then and a big seller came with "Four Walls of Memories" b/w "What Makes a Heart keep on Lovin" in 1965 (Zone 1085). His song "River of Love", also cut for Sam Phillips in 1959 but never issued, was recorded brightly by Jerry Dion and issued on Zone 1063. Mack had quit the night club circuit in 1963, devoting his time to his family and took a steady job the heating, air and sheet metal business for many years. In 1966, came "It's Too Late Now" and "It's Time To Cry" issued on Blake 209. The next year a new session at the Sun studio laid "Breaking New Ground", "Folsom Prison Blues" and "Yesterday's Gone" on tape. Nevertheless, through the 70's and 80's, he recorded songs as "Mortals Make Mistakes" (Twin 003), "Goin' Crazy (Twin 004), "Teardrop Fallin'" (Unissued), "Good Time Song" and "Between Today and Yesterday" (Sabre 4503) or "Silver Dollar Fool". He started playing local dates again in Mississippi and Tennessee, in 1992, accompanied by The Silver Dollar band featuring his sons Jerry (gtr) and Vince (dms), Ben*Ben Adler (bs), C.W. Gatlin and Ralph Jones. Ben Adler, a Germany native, started to work with Mack in 1989 and worked some with Eddie Bond too. Mack was inducted at The Rockabilly Hall of Fame (number 117) and received good CD packaging his early sides out on Gee-Dee records from Germany. In 1997, The Ranch Girls and Their Ragtime Wranglers cut a superb rendition of "Mad At You" for them CD "Hillbilly Harmony". Get it if you don't have it yet. In 2002, Mack was featured on the Rockabilly Hall of Fame CD "The Rockabilly Masters - Rockin' on Madison Avenue" (RABHOF 111) produced by Ed Morgan and engineered by Roland Janes. Mack delivers "Mexican Limbo", "Jody McClain" and "Shadows". Among the other performers/musicians are his friends Burl Boykin, Stan Perkins, W.S. Holland, C.W Gatlin, Bob Timmers and few others. In March 2004, came another CD with 16 sides recorded at Phillips International Studio in Madison Avenue (Memphis), still under the supervision of Roland James. Backed by two of his sons and Ben Adler, Mack deliver the great nostalgic "When Darkness Falls on Memphis" with tribute to Carl's "Blue Suede Shoes" and Dick Penner's "Ooby Dooby". "Hog Jowl Blues" and "Backyard Dog Blues" are great blues and "River of Love" is a great country song. In 2007, Bear Family produced the superb "Mack Self - The Sun Years, Plus" (BCD 16519) with 30 recordings and an interview. "Now Dig This" welcomed Mack with two pages in their issue No. 290 (May 2007). The only one 50's picture of Mack that survives was used few years ago on a superb 10 inch LP issued on "Sun". Mack's picture is sandwiched between Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis on that German LP who offer "Mad at You" with various others tracks by Elvis, Kenny Parchman and Sonny Burgess to name a few. That 5 LPs set titled "Sun Country Rock Ôn' Roll" is quite mysterious and hard to get. Mack asked in 2005 to a French friend to find and send him that Sun LP 805. That was done ... Nobody ever want Mack being Mad at him. Since the 50', Mack has put on a few pounds (being at 325 lbs in 1984, he was down at 235 lbs by 2005) and gained some wrinkles. His hair becane salt and pepper but still combed with style. That was a big man with a big voice and a heck of a talent. He had a good, tight band behind him and they mixed country and rockabilly with grace and ease. Mack, a southern gentleman used to say "I like to come out like a sharecropper, grab my guitar and surprise the crowd with my music." He added, "I plan to keep on making music until the day I die." But, we didn't think that day will come so fast and almost to tie up with the Bear Family triple CDs "Sun Ballads 1953-1962" where Mack was selected with "Easy To Love". In the booklet we can read about Mack the following statement ... deserves a special place in Hillbilly Heaven. "That's Right" should have added his friend Carl Perkins! Dominique "Imperial" ANGLARES June 21, 2011  Page Created March, 2010 |