Cat. No. BCD 17719: MAC CURTIS ~ ROCKS. BEAR FAMILY BCD 17719.
MAC CURTIS (WESLEY ERWIN CURTIS) WAS BORN IN FORT WORTH, TEXAS ON JANUARY 16, 1939 BUT WAS RAISED BY HIS GRANDPARENTS AFTER HIS PARENTS SPLIT SOON AFTER. THE NICKNAME "MAC" ORIGINATED DURING A CHILDHOOD BALL GAME WHEN HE MISSED A BALL AND HIS FRIENDS SAID "WHAT THE HECK, MAC?". MAC HAD NO SIBLNGS BUT HIS UNCLE (WILLIAM HOWARD DUNN) WAS ONLY A BIT OLDER AND THE TWO WERE LIKE BROTHERS. BILL WAS MUSICAL AND GREATLY INFLUENCED MAC, WHO, BY THAT TIME, HAD DEVELOPED A FONDNESS FOR UP-TEMPO GOSPEL AND THE BOOGIE HITS OF THE PERIOD. MAC AND BILL USED TO LISTEN TO HILLBILLY AND GOSPEL ON THE RADIO. AS FOR HILLBILLY ROOTS MAC'S FAVOURITE WAS BOB WILLS. MAC GOT HIS FIRST GUITAR AT AGE 12 AND AN OLD FARMHAND BY THE NAME OF T.M. MILLS ATTENDING HIS GRANDPARENT'S CHURCH PLAYED FINGER-PCKING DOWN-HOME BLUES, EAST-TEXAS STYLE AND MAC PESTERED THE OLD MAN AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE TO LEARN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
IN 1954, MAC AND HIS GRANDPARENTS MOVED TO WEATHERFORD, TEXAS AND MAC STRUCK UP A FRIENDSHIP WITH ONE OF HIS NEW CLASSMATES, JAMES LEE GALBRAITH AND TOGETHER WITH A FEW OTHER FRIENDS FORMED A HILLBILLY BAND, HOWEVER, IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE ROCK'N'ROLL TICKLED THEIR FANCY. IN EARLY 1955, MAC CURTIS AND THE BAND RECORDED A SONG BY THE WORKING TITLE "AMARILLO BLUES" ALONG WITH ANOTHER TRYOUT, "WHAT'LL I DO" BY LOCAL TUNESMITH JIM SHELL (OVERDUBBED FOR RELEASE BY RONNY WEISER ON ROLLIN' ROCK IN 1975). SPURRED BY THE EXPERIENCE AND AN UPCOMING TALENT CONTEST THE BAND DECIDED TO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY AND AGREED ON THE NAME MAC CURTIS AND THE COUNTRY CATS. THE BAND WAS EAGER TO RECORD AND JOHNNY CARROLL SUGGESTED THEY TRY JACK "TIGER" GOLDMAN'S TOP TEN STUDIO IN DALLAS. THE BAND RECORDED "THAT'S ALL RIGHT MAMA" AND "GOOD ROCKIN' TONIGHT". IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE THE BAND DREW THE ATTENTION OF RALPH BASS OF KING RECORDS WHO WAS CONVINCED OF THE BAND'S POTENTIAL AND ON APRIL 1, 1956 MAC AND HIS CATS RECORDED FOUR TRACKS AT JIM BECK'S LEGENDARY DALLAS STUDIO. ONE OF THE TRACKS BEING "IF I HAD ME A WOMAN" WHICH IS THE TRACK THAT MAC CURTIS IS PROBABLY BEST REMEMBERED FOR. MAC PASSED AWAY JANUARY 16, 2013 FOLLOWING INJURIES HE RECEIVED IN A CAR CRASH. MANY OF THE TRACKS FEATURED ON THIS RELEASE DID NOT SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY UNTIL WAY AFTER THEY WERE RECORDED ALONG WITH OTHER TRACKS RECORDED LATER IN MAC'S CAREER. ANOTHER SUPERB OFFERING FROM THE BEAR FAMILY "ROCKS" SERIES *****
TRACK LISTING: Wake Up Rock'n'Roll Rock-A-Baby / Real Good Itch / What You Want / Goosebumps / Hard Hearted Girl / Little Miss Linda / That's How Much I Love You / Sidething / Don't You Love Me / That Ain't Nothin' But Right / Half Hearted Love / You Ain't Treating Me Right / If I Had Me A Woman / Say So (alt. take) / Just So You Call Me / Grandaddy's Rockin' / You Oughta See Grandma Rock / Party Line / Rockin' Mother / No / Good Rockin' Tomorrow / For Your Love / Missy Ann / You Are My Very Special Baby / The Low Road / How Long Will It Take / Good Love Sweet Love / Been Gone A Long Time. Mac Curtis with The Rimshots - Hey Hey Little Lady / Show Me The Money / Little Mama Have Mercy. BONUS TRACK: John Lewis and his Rock'n'Roll Trio - Flat Top Cat (dedicated to Mac Curtis).
CD DIGI-PAK (ECO-PAK) NEW
