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"Mack sings songs of the heart and life experiences with a voice and charm that mesmerizes his audiences." - Joyce Sica, Uptown Concerts |
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Press Articles: What's Being Written About Mack
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Review of Mack and the John Denver Band in Oregon
From the Siuslaw News, Jan 25,2006 "The FEC theater filled Sunday afternoon in anticipation of Mack Bailey and the John Denver Band. For Mack it was old home week; he had enjoyed Florence hospitality as one of the Limeliters last year and couldn't wait to introduce his accomplished friends to our town. His friends had all performed with or known John Denver - pianist Chris Nole, guitarist Pete Huttlinger, and petite young vocalist Mollie Weaver.
By Carol Swanson,
My, oh my, oh my! This Mack Bailey
can sing! Seriously, this guy has a fabulous tenor voice in so many
respects--color, control, texture, emotion, tone, the whole deal! He
even articulates each lyric with polished precision so that nothing is lost
in translation. Before listening to Star Light, I was
unfamiliar with this fine artist. I saw his warm and welcoming smile on the
album cover and thought of Bailey as just a "regular guy" having big fun
putting together a holiday album. Then he opened his mouth, and I
realized that I had solid gold on my audio system. So cool!
ROCK ON: Simple Pleasures By Kathryn Preston Aspen Daily News Correspondent February 12, 2005 Promoting his new inspirational CD, "Why am I Here?," Mack Bailey said he chose to play a solo gig at Steve's Guitar's at the behest of fellow acoustic musician, Pete Huttlinger, who told him what a great room it was to play in. Both musicians are linked to John Denver. Mack Bailey's soaring tenor is stylistically very much like John Denver's, so it's fitting that he sings at many of the John Denver tribute events. (He has the perfect musical-theater voice if he were ever looking for experience in a different genre.) Bailey also sings with the legendary Limeliters, a Kingston Trio-type, folk-pop group. Mack will appear again in Aspen this fall with Chris Nole and other surprise guests at the Mountain Chalet Ballroom. Bailey says he is more of a singer than a songwriter, and playing solo is rare for him these days. This particular solo gig revealed his knack for choosing songs that cut straight to the heart of Americana. Spending an evening with Bailey evokes a warm Garrison Keillor/Lake Wobegon feeling: one of being removed from the hustle and bustle of modern life, and being reminded of simple pleasures. The tune, "Rock Me, Grandpa," (from his days with the Blue Moon Saloon Band) written by Kevin Brown, is like a musical Norman Rockwell painting whose lyrics create a vivid portrait of a safe-haven in the arms of a kindly old father-figure: a theme that is oft repeated throughout Bailey's musical lexicon. Bailey wrote another tune about simple pleasures, "Through Your Eyes." As he was trying to hustle his daughter into their car, in a hurry to get going, she had stopped to look at a bug. His first thought was to do something "unfatherly" and squash the bug, but he didn't. He stopped and got down on his knees with her, creating a moment, a song, and strengthening a bond that will last forever. This song also delivers another simple pleasure: Bailey's soft, gentle tones are as powerful as the strength of his tenor, and he would do well to utilize this aspect of his voice more in songs like "For One Night," and "I Didn't Come This Far." On the CD, "Through Your Eyes," Bailey credits John Denver with teaching him how to sing a song, and Buddy Renfro for teaching him how to share one. Sharing a powerful story of the last few days spent with Renfro before his death, Bailey said that a lot of things became unimportant. For Renfro, sight and sound didn't matter much anymore, but human "touch" was most comforting. Bailey said, "in the end, we held hands for hours without saying a word." Bailey sang "how would I ever know the goodness of my soul without your loving hand?" for his friend. An uplifting tune, "Travel light," is the musical equivalent of the phrase "don't let the turkeys get you down." For those who know about traveling light materially, this song reminds us to travel light spiritually as well. "Leave the weight of the world behind. Travel light." Traveling without physical, material weight, makes good horse sense to those who travel frequently across the country or around the world, but the message of traveling through life with a guiding "light," is often a much more elusive concept. Tom Paxton helped Bailey write the song, "Just Because." Each listener seems to get something different out of this song depending on what he or she needs to hear, or what they are going through in life when they hear it. While Bailey says it was originally written with his daughter in mind, once again, there is a more universal "Father" theme intended as well. One concert-goer revealed to him that she had just lost her son a couple of months prior to hearing the song, and knew that her son was speaking to her through the lyrics, "Just because you can't see me, doesn't mean I'm not there. Just because you don't hear me, doesn't mean I don't care. Just because you can't make me appear out of thin air, just because you can't hold me, doesn't mean I'm not there." A song called, "Daniel Lee," from the "Through Your Eyes" CD is a moving Pete Seeger-type tune about a homeless man. There is much truth to the lyric; "the world doesn't forgive you when you lose your way." However, a fitting follow-up to this song is, "I will Bring You Home," from the "Why Am I Here" CD. 'Though you are homeless, though you are alone, I will bring you home. Whatever's the matter, whatever's been done, I will bring you home. I will bring you home from this fearful place, I will bring you home." Words we all need to hear from time to time, and no singer croons them more compassionately than Bailey. Finally, on Denver's song, "Eagles and Horses," Bailey whips up a fury with his tempestuous tenor, creating the perfect crescendo to a most heart-felt evening. Kathryn Preston is a local actor, vocalist, poet and freelance writer. She can be reached at kathrynshakti@yahoo.com.
Mack Bailey speaks to the
power of music
Aspen
Times
At
times, Aspen can seem like the crossroads of the world. No doubt it seems that
way to singer-songwriter Mack Bailey.
Benefit Concert Full of Old Favorites Jane Elkins
The Capitol Newspaper,
September 29, 2004
Folk, bluegrass and country music lovers were treated to a very special performance for a very special cause Saturday night at the fourth annual "Music from the Mountains - Tribute to John Denver."
Former members of Mr. Denver's band and colleagues from such groups as The Starland Vocal Band, The Hard Travelers and Limeliters came together at Maryland Hall for the popular concert that benefits Maryland Therapeutic Riding.
Producer / singer Kenn Roberts really knows how to put on a show. The old-fashioned variety format featured everything from foot stompers to comedy and a string quartet that enhanced some of the more mellow ballads. Mr. Roberts is an accomplished performer as well as founder of the MUSE foundation, an organization that produces concerts for charitable causes. It is through his connection to local singer / guitarist Mack Bailey that MTR first came to his attention.
MTR is a Crownsville-based nonprofit that puts the healing energy of horses to work for more than 160 special needs riders ranging from age 2 to 76. Mr. Bailey has been an ardent supporter of this group ever since they adopted his stirring (version of the) ode “Eagles and Horses,” as their unofficial theme song six years ago.
Mr. Bailey is a phenomenal guitarist with a full, mellow voice that is exquisitely suited to Mr. Denver’s repertoire. He was complemented by the lovely Mollie Weaver, a velvety-toned mezzo who harmonized beautifully with him in such showstoppers as “Sweet Surrender,” “Shanghai Breezes” and “Fly Away,” to name but a few.
Keyboardist Chris Nole, a member of Mr. Denver’s band for three years, demonstrated an easy familiarity with this style of pop-country music, which set the tone for a relaxing and nostalgic evening of old favorites.
Rounding out the core band were performers who are stars in their own right: bassist Ira Gitlin, for example, who also is a former National Bluegrass Banjo champion, and the multi-talented instrumentalist, John Sommers on banjo, mandolin and fiddle. Mr. Sommers composed “Thank God I’m a Country Boy,” which was a hit for Mr. Denver and has since become the Baltimore Orioles’ seventh inning stretch theme. It was naturally received with enthusiastic audience participation.
Singer / songwriter Bill Danoff hails from
Gary Muledeer, the “clueless country boy,” slipped into his routine so smoothly that the audience didn’t realize until several jokes had passed that his fine singing and picking would only come as a complement to his wit. His delivery was so perfect that it didn’t matter if some of his material wasn’t original. I would hesitate to say he stole the show, because there was just so much to enjoy, but he could have if he wanted to.
The beauty of this venture was that all the artists worked together so perfectly to re-create music that can never again be heard live in its original context. It has been seven years since Mr. Denver’s flying accident abruptly halted a remarkable career, but for one night it all came together again, just the way we remember.
Review of Mack's Performance with the Annapolis Chorale: From "The Capital" on 10/22/03 Pops Gala had something for everyone. By: Jane Elkin "The star attraction of the pops portion of the program was local favorite Mack Bailey, whose folksy tenor, guitar playing and whistling are reminiscent of John Denver. He's funny, too! Filling Maryland Hall with vocal and human warmth, he was the consummate one-man show. His renditions of "The Nearness of You" and "Eagles and Horses" made me want to run out and buy all of his recordings.
Review of Mack's new CD "Why I'm Here" Mack's new CD was reviewed by "Music Monthly," a music news magazine, in the August 2003 issue. In her column, the Wollan Report, reviewer Laurin Wollan writes: "Mack Bailey is tellin’ us all Why I’m Here. Some spiritual music can be found on this folksy, bluegrassy release. It is very Christian. He’s got a good voice. The flute really works it for me during some moments. . . . it sure could bring a smile to someone’s face. He sang back up for Vince Gill and Amy Grant in the past and Mary Chapin Carpenter sang back up on his first release. Elvis’ backing singers, the Grammy award winning Jordanaires sing on this album so if you are into that sort of thing, well there you go."
Mack's CD "On My Way" honored and featured on CD Baby's Front Page
For three days, Mack's CD "On My Way" was featured on the CD Baby web site, which is the online service designated for ordering Mack's CDs, among thousands of other artists' CDs. In a memo to Mack, CD Baby's president writes:
And it looked like this:
The
Montgomery Herald
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Patriotism Is On This Menu
Maybe it was the gorgeous sunny day: Yesterday's Pentagon Memorial Fund brunch at Cafe Milano was a quietly upbeat occasion. As patrons sipped champagne and munched on antipasto, folk singer Mack Bailey (left) performed "On the Sunny Side of the Street," the Redskins celebrated their first win and the restaurant raised more than $8,000 for a memorial to the victims of last year's attack on the Pentagon. |
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The Pentagon memorial, recently authorized by Congress, will be placed on the west side of the building near the impact point. An open design competition will close this week; a jury panel will select five finalists next month and announce the winner in December. No budget has been set for the project, but the goal is have it built as soon as possible. "I would say within the next year -- probably September," said Bob Miller from the Defense Department. |
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The
Montgomery Herald
Montgomery County, North Carolina
Friday, August 30, 2002
By Linda Beaulieu
Mack Bailey has had lots of thrilling moments in his musical career, singing with or opening for the likes of Kenny Rogers, Kathy Mattea, the Oak Ridge Boys, Alabama, Lee Greenwood and more.
For someone who grew up listening to his dad’s Limeliter and New Christy Minstrels albums, getting to sing Glenn Yarbrough’s parts with Limeliters in a Washington, D.C. concert ranks near the top. But the biggest moment came in September 1997, when John Denver, “the man who taught me how to sing a song,” invited him on stage to trade verses to one of Denver’s signature songs, “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.”
Two weeks later, Denver was dead in a plane crash. Tentative plans to do more with his idol died, along with the granny glassed, tousled blond American music icon.
But Bailey, son of Troy residents Morgan and the late Gerri Bailey, has kept up his ties with Denver’s band members and performed with them in a series of tribute shows in Colorado and around the country, most often to the benefit of charities such as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, National Dyslexia Foundation, and Challenge Aspen.
October 4, he’s bringing a few friends, including two of Denver’s close associates, home for a concert to benefit the Trinity Music Academy Scholarship Fund.
“I love to come and play at home,” Bailey said. “And I love introducing friends I work with to the people of Troy.” One of those friends is song writer and musician Bill Danoff. Danoff and then partner Taffy Nivert cowrote the song that would catapult Denver to fame in the 1960s, “Take Me Home Country Roads.” Another of the duos’ efforts, “I Guess He’d Rather Be in Colorado,” was recorded by Denver and became the Colorado theme song.
In the 70s, Danoff was a major part of the Starland Vocal Band, and his song, “Afternoon Delight,” won two Grammy Awards and a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Also appearing in the October show is John Sommers, author of “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.” Sommers, who also wrote “The River of Love,” said he doesn’t consider himself a songwriter. “To me a songwriter is someone who’s continually writing and I’ve never done that. I’ve just been incredibly fortunate with the ones I’ve written.”
Sommers, however, is a musician good enough to have played harmonica, fiddle, mandolin, banjo and guitar with Denver’s band in its heyday of the 1970s.
Like Danoff, Sommers has continued to be part of the Colorado and national music and annual October Denver tribute concerts in Colorado.
Also coming home with Bailey are several members of The Hard Travelers, with whom he has played for many years, and top Nashville bluegrass musician Mark MacGlashan. “John Denver fan or not, it’s going to be a great evening of music,” Bailey said, including plenty of John Denver material, but also original music from Bailey and the other performers.
Making the concert a benefit for music scholarships is typical of Bailey and his friends. “There has to be a reason to bring people together, and for the performers it feels good to know we’re doing something for the community. And they had all met mom, who was a big supporter of the academy,” he said.
Bailey lives with his wife and daughter in Maryland. He was named Best Male Vocalist in the Traditional Folk category in the 1992 Washington Area Music Awards, sung the national anthem numerous times at Baltimore Orioles and Washington Capitals home games, had his song “High Gear” featured on NPR’s Car Talk program, and most recently received the 2002 Governor’s Citation for Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award.
He composed and performed soundtracks for two PBS specials, and co wrote the theme for the Johns Hopkins Children’s Miracle Network telethon.
“I’m still a full-time musician, working in a variety of ways,” he said. One of the most fulfilling ways is performing for groups and one on one in nursing homes and Alzheimer units. From that experience he has recorded When I Dream, a collection of songs he’s shared with patients. “I’ve got a church gig a couple days a week, and the busy concert season is coming up,” he said. He also works with school students on songwriting.
“I love what I do, and I love to come and play at home,” he said.
Among those looking forward to Bailey and friends is musician and long time member of the local music scene Jim Callicutt. He calls Bailey “a super entertainer, that’s all there is to it. He’s very accomplished. It’s hard for me to understand why someone that good hasn’t made it bigger. There’s lots with no more talent and ability making millions.”
Earle Connelly, acting president of the TMA board, promises “a wonderful show. Mack and the band are very professional, and bring a lot of credentials.”
Tickets for the October 4 concert are $12 for adults and $6 for students (18 and under). They are available by calling Marie Andrews at Trinity United Methodist Church, 901-576-4186.
Info box:
Mack Bailey and Friends in Concert
Benefit Trinity Music Academy Scholarships
7 p.m., Friday, October 4
West Montgomery High School Auditorium
Tickets: 576- 4186
Montgomery County, North Carolina
Wednesday, March 8, 2000
“The Entertainer”
For singer, songwriter Mack Bailey, the show’s the thing, giving his audience their money’s worth
Feature by Linda Beaulieu
How do you make a folksinger a millionaire? Give him $2 million.
Mack Bailey says he believes and understands this old joke popular amongst folk musicians. Fortunately, the talented Bailey doesn't yearn to be a millionaire. "I don't need to be a superstar," he says. "I'd just like to make enough for myself, my family (wife Lauren and daughter Caroline) and our future." He hasn't quite reached that point yet, describing himself as a "full part-time musician," but he's moving in that direction.
Mack grew up listening to all kinds of music in the Troy home of his parents Morgan and Gerri Bailey. "There was a great respect for music in our home," he says. Mixed in with the classical and church music albums was the music of various folk groups. Mack was strongly influenced by The Limeliters' album "Folk Revival'' and the New Christy Minstrels' "Land of Giants."
“There was something about the way their voices worked that touched me," he says. “That's how I learned to sing. I like folk music because it expresses more, it can touch people socially, environmentally." With modern pop and rock music, he believes listeners may find themselves bobbing their heads in time to the music, "but they don't necessarily come away with something" as they do with folk music.
Mack began training for his career as a professional musician way back in third grade. After moving to Troy with his family, he first took piano lessons with Ms. Blanche Bruton. When it came time for music lessons in public elementary school, he studied trumpet and baritone horn. The guitar, more appropriate for his chosen genre of folk music, he picked up when his older brother Trip tried it and decided he didn't really like it. Later, Mack taught himself banjo.
He never minded the hours of practice to master his instrument. "I felt drawn to play and practice guitar, for hours on end," he says. "It didn't matter if I was extremely happy, mad, sad or down, I wanted to pick my guitar. I could play the same song for hours, but it was something different every time, different finger picking styles, always something new, creative. I just couldn't get enough of it. Even now, I'm always wanting to make it better. I don't want people to get tired and feel like, oh, we've heard that."
He sang in church and school choirs through middle and early high school at West Montgomery, but his first formal voice training came during three summer music camps at what was then Pfeiffer College.
As part of the local band, The Ivory Images, he played pop songs of the mid 70s for a few dances at West Montgomery. But he knew from an early age he wanted to be a professional performer, so he moved in the last two years of high school to the one place in this area where he could be trained to reach his goal, the N.C. School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. After high school, he went on to take a couple years of business courses at UNC Chapel Hill.
"I was still studying music there, was still active in the men's glee club, doing solo performances and working with the Blue Moon Saloon Band," he says. He wanted to learn more about music business to help him in his planned career, but those types of classes weren't part of UNC's offering. He ended up back at the School of the Arts, from which he graduated at age 23.
After a short stint as a singing waiter at the Mt. Washington Hotel in New Hampshire, Mack headed back south, at least part way, to Annapolis, Maryland. A former chef from Mt. Washington offered him a job as bar manager in his restaurant. "I started playing the bar scene in Annapolis," he says. It was a busy venue with lots of major jazz performers working in the area. It wasn't long before a "good deed" led him to the start of a 14-year relationship that took him touring in Asia and around the United States.
Mack decided to wander over to the Millersville Inn, what he describes as a "biker type place," to do a couple numbers in a Cystic Fibrosis benefit concert being put on there. "I was 24 years old, and I saw these four guys in their 40s on stage, doing old Kingston Trio songs. One guy was from North Carolina and we got to talking. I asked them to stay and listen to me." And that's how Mack Bailey started 14 years working with a group called The Hard Travelers.
"I played back up for the group and eventually worked my way up to getting a microphone," he says. During these years, involved and performing mostly with the group, though still getting in some solo work, Mack had the opportunity to meet and perform with every major influence in his musical life. He recalls singing tenor with The Limeliters once in Washington, D.C. “There I was, singing Glenn Yarbrough's parts in front of thousands of people. I remember thinking 'what in the world am I doing here.' I had these childhood dreams of being that guy, and for one night I was that guy.”
"There's something so special about being on stage with a group like that, seeing the music being made and realizing you're a part of that picture, that music. It's an incredible feeling and to do it with those who you grew up idolizing, . . " and his thought trails off recalling the memory.
For 10 years, Mack participated in the annual Cystic Fibrosis benefits, with The Hard Travelers performing as the opener for a different big name each year at the Baltimore Arena. He lists Kenny Rogers, Kathy Mattea, the Oak Ridge Boys, Alabama, Lee Greenwood, Barbara Mandrell, Emmy Lou Harris, and Glenn Yarbrough. But the biggest thrill for Mack came Sept. 20, 1997. The date will live in his mind forever.
That was the night he got to sing with his greatest musical influence, John Denver. He sets the scene like this. One of Denver's big hits, "Thank God I'm a Country Boy," was a regular part of every home game for the Baltimore Orioles. The day of the benefit concert at which Denver was to headline, he went to the ball game for an appearance. There, Mack got the chance to introduce himself.
"There I was, 37 years old, and just as nervous as I could be. I introduced myself, 'Hi, I'm Mack Bailey with The Hard Travelers and I just want to thank you for teaching me how to sing a song.' And he said to me, 'Wait a minute, didn't you sing 'Potter's Wheel' before I did?' I thought it was great he'd heard my album."
Later, at the rehearsal for the concert, Mack was called on to sing a few verses of Denver's "Country Boy" for the sound check. "I sang the verses, he liked it and suggested we trade verses on the song during the show. When we finally got to the encore, he sang the first verse, and then said 'Take it, Mack."'
Bailey's voice drops as he continues his story. "Two weeks later, on 'Good Morning, America,' I heard the news of the crash." Denver had been killed in the crash of a light aircraft. "It really put me into a slump for a while," Mack says. "It was like every bit of air had been taken out of me. After the show, we had talked about maybe doing some things together."
What got done, and has been done since then is Mack performing with members of Denver's band, in several John Denver tribute shows. "I'm grateful to be a part of the shows, but I don't want people to think I'm capitalizing on John's death," he says. Nor does he want to be exclusively identified with Denver, though he names Denver "as the whole major influence on my music and style during high school and college."
What Mack is looking for is a stronger solo career after the years of association with The Hard Travelers. He says he's got some good friends who've given him good advice in Nashville, where his most recent CD, "Through Your Eyes," was produced. He recalls sitting in the office of one of those contacts one day, while the man listened to bits and pieces of the over 200 cassettes he gets every day from hopeful performers.
"I realized then, for every Mack Bailey from Troy, NC, there are hundreds of thousands of others out there, all trying to do the exact same thing," he says. The agent at that time gave him this advice, which he's stuck to so far: "Stay in Annapolis and become so well known there that people who come there looking for something to do will be told, you've got to go see Mack Bailey. . . Become a big fish in a little sea."
But now, while still being sensible about not taking on overly expensive projects, he's still working to get his name out there, to find an agent to promote his solo career, and to find the right song that could put him over the top.
He's performed a number of times at The Kennedy Center, composed and performed sound tracks for two different films shown on Public Broad- casting Service, written a theme song used in fund raisers for Johns Hopkins Medical Center, done the John Denver tribute shows, as well as the 10 years of benefits for Cystic Fibrosis, and taught creative writing to summer campers for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. One of his reasons for wanting to succeed has to do with service to others, perhaps an ideal more closely associated with socially conscious folk musicians over the years than with any other genre.
"I feel like I could do so much more with my music. Music is a powerful tool to get people involved in something, to go the extra step. What I want is to be successful enough to do more of these kinds of things and still be able to maintain for my family," he says.
Like most musicians, he's had a number of different day jobs to pay the bills while performing “full-part-time" nights and weekends: landscaping, 1990 census counting, telemarketing, driving and developing Films for a portable x-ray company, selling everything from cell phones to food, and for a while running his own culinary herb business - Herbs and Thyme. "My wife jokes I could have a good career as a job or career counselor," he quips.
But the music, or perhaps more importantly, the performing, entertaining is what drives him. "I want to be a good entertainer, not just a good writer or singer," he says. "If people are paying money, I need 'to make sure they get their money's worth." He puts a lot of thought into a show or performance and speaks with intensity about the two way street, the energy between performer and audience. It's clear that's a big part of what he loves about what he does.
But it's also clear that what he loves can be hard to deal with. "I've felt frustrated many times. I've asked myself why do I enjoy this, why do I keep torturing myself."
Throughout his years as a professional, he's been classified as a folk musician, a genre that while appealing to many isn't as popular as some other styles. "I don't know how to classify it really," he says. "It's got flavors of country and popular folk. With this most recent CD, I tried to make it more contemporary, but the reviews so far still label it as folk. I don't fight it anymore."
And having listened to a sampling of Mack Bailey's recorded music, one wonders why he would fight it. Clear, tuneful and thoughtful, his music is a pleasure to hear. And local audiences will be getting their chance to enjoy Bailey's music in Troy soon.
Along with pianist Chris Nole and guitar player Pete Huttlinger from John Denver's band, and Nashville base player Jeff Cox, Bailey will be performing, March 21, in a concert to benefit the scholarship fund of Trinity Music Academy. For more information about the evening show at West Montgomery High School, call 576-8742. To listen to a sampling of Mack's music, find out about upcoming performances, or to order CDs or tapes, check out his website, mackbailey.com.
Meanwhile, Mack will continue to work on what he sees as his strength, "to be able to get in front of people and let them see what I do. I promise to show them a good time."
Silver Spring man goes down Denver’s country roads
by Daryl Khan
Special to The Gazette
Wednesday, February 2, 2000
Mack Bailey, 39, grew up in Troy, a speck of a Southern town in the middle of North Carolina, just south of Greensboro, where the population was 2,500 on a shopping day. There, in the bedroom of a modest house, young Bailey would shut his door, pick up his guitar and practice f