The Wham of that Memphis Man

This album contains the first collection of hits from Mack, considered by many to be the founder of the Blues-Rock guitar genre. "Memphis", released as a single in early 1963, was unique at the time for its incorporation of "blues stylism" into a full-length rock guitar instrumental. (See, Pinnell, "Lonnie Mack's 'Memphis': An Analysis of an Historic Rock Guitar Instrumental", Guitar Player Magazine, May 1979, p. 40).

Two of the cuts, 1963's "Wham!" and "Chicken-Pickin'", also instrumentals, were later covered by the late Stevie Ray Vaughan.

One of the earliest of the "blue-eyed soul" singers, Mack's self-penned ballads, "Where There's a Will" and "Why?" still rank among the all-time best of the genre. Although "Why?" was never promoted as a single, over the years it became something of a cult classic for the quality of Mack's "soul screams".

The album has been re-released many times, on several different labels. It is currently available (along with 23 other recordings by Mack from the 1960s) on the Flying V record label as the two-volume "Direct Hits and Close Calls".

For further information about this historic album and the artist who recorded it, see the Wikipedia article on Lonnie Mack.