Born in Crimora, Virginia, he attended school in New Hope Virginia and graduated from high school there in 1943. He studied at the Shenandoah Conservatory in Dayton, Virginia, before it moved to Winchester, Virginia in 1960, and started his career as a disc jockey at WSVA-AM in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
His musical career began as upright bass player in the band of country singer Molly O'Day. When Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs left Bill Monroe's band, Wiseman became the guitarist for their new band, the Foggy Mountain Boys. Later he played with Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys. After a performance on Louisiana Hayride he became popular as solo artist. In the 1950s, he was the star of The Old Dominion Barn Dance on WRVA in Richmond, Va.
During the folk revival in the 1960s, Wiseman had successful concerts at the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall.
He joined producers Randall Franks and Alan Autry for the In the Heat of the Night cast CD Christmas Time’s A Comin’ released on Sonlite and MGM/UA for one of the most popular Christmas releases of 1991 and 1992 with Southern retailers.
In 2014, he released an album of songs inspired by his mother's handwritten notebooks of songs she heard on the radio when Mac was a child: Songs From My Mother's Hand.
In 1993 he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor. His substantial girth and light tenor voice gave rise to the quip that "Mac Wiseman sings like Gene Vincent looks, and looks like Ernest Tubb sings".
Wiseman was a recipient of a 2008 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.
In 2014 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Discography
Albums
Year Title Label Number Notes
1957 Tis Sweet To Be Remembered Dot DLP-3084/25084 Dot mono = 3xxx, stereo = 25xxx
1959 Beside The Still Waters Dot DLP-3135/25135
1959 Great Folk Ballads Dot DLP-3213/25213
1960 Sings 12 Great Hits Dot DLP-3313/25313
1960 Keep On The Sunny Side Dot DLP-3336/25336
1961 Best Loved Gospel Hymns Dot DLP-3373/25373
1961 Fireball Mail Dot DLP-3408/25408
1962 Bluegrass Favorites Capitol T-1800/ST-1800
1965 At the Toronto Horseshoe Club Wise LP-228
1966 Sincerely Hamilton HLP-130
1966 This Is Mac Wiseman Dot DLP-3697/25697
1966 A Master At Work Dot DLP-3730/25730
1966 Bluegrass Dot DLP-3731/25731 with the Osborne Brothers
1966 Songs Of The Dear Old Days Hamilton HLP-167/1267
1966 Sings Old Time Country Favorites Rural Rhythm RRMW-158
1967 Mac Wiseman Hilltop JM/JS-6047
1970 Sings Johnny's Cash & Charley's Pride RCA Victor LSP-4336
1971 Lester 'N' Mac RCA Victor LSP-4547 with Lester Flatt
1972 On The Southbound RCA Victor LSP-4688 with Lester Flatt
1973 Singing Country Favorites Rural Rhythm RRMW-258 reissue of RRMW-158
1973 Over The Hills To The Poorhouse RCA Victor APL1-0309 with Lester Flatt
1973 Concert Favorites RCA Victor LSP-4845
1976 Country Music Memories CMH 6202
1976 New Traditions Volume 1 Vetco LP-508 with the Shenandoah Cut-Ups
1977 New Traditions Volume 2 Vetco LP-509 with the Shenandoah Cut-Ups
1977 Sings Gordon Lightfoot CMH 6217
1979 The Essential Bluegrass Album CMH 9016 with the Osborne Brothers
1980 Songs That Made The Jukebox Play CMH 9021
1982 Mac and Chubby Live at Gilley's Gilley's MG-5006 with Chubby Wise
1982 The Clayton McMichen Story CMH 9028 with Merle Travis
1982 Live In Concert Country Road CR-01
1982 Grassroots To Bluegrass CMH 9041
1984 If Teardrops Were Pennies 51 West Q-16280
1986 Mac Wiseman Dot 39086
1993 Teenage Hangout Bear Family BCD-15694 (Germany)
1994 Number One Christmas Power Pak 10511
1998 Del Doc & Mac Sugar Hill SHCD-3888 with Doc Watson and Del McCoury
2000 3 Tenors of Bluegrass CMH 8530 with Bobby Osborne and Jim Silvers
2001 Letter Edged in Black Music Mill 50101 also Wise 101
2001 Just Because Music Mill 50102 also Wise 102
2001 Maple on the Hill Music Mill 50106 also Wise 106
2001 Shares Precious Memories Music Mill 50108 with Brother Oswald, also Wise 108
2001 First Recorded Live Concert Music Mill 50109 also Wise 109
2003 The Lost Album Music Mill 70038 unreleased 1964 Capitol sessions
2005 15 of My Grandma's Favorites Music Mill 50110 also Wise 110
2005 15 of My Gospel Favorites Music Mill 50111 also Wise 111
2007 Standard Songs For Average People Oh Boy OBR-038 duets with John Prine
2008 Old Likker in a New Jug Wise 113
2008 Waiting for the Boys to Come Home Wise 114
2008 Bluegrass Tradition Gusto GT7-0825
2014 Songs From My Mother's Hand Wrinkled Records WR-8336 Inspired by his mother's handwritten notebooks of popular songs from his childhood
2017 I Sang the Songs Mountain Fever Songs based on stories related in Wiseman’s recent autobiography
Compilations
Year Title Label Number Notes
1964 Sincerely, Mac Wiseman Hamilton HLP-130/12130
1968 Golden Hits of Mac Wiseman Dot DLP-3896/25896
1974 16 Great Performances ABC ABDP-4009
1976 The Mac Wiseman Story CMH CMH-9001
1979 Golden Classics Gusto GT-0049
1982 Bluegrass Gold - Greatest Bluegrass Hits CMH CMH-4502 reissue + "In the Pines"
1981 Early Dot Recordings Volume 1 County CCS-108 reissue + "When The Roses Bloom Again"
1982 Early Dot Recordings Volume 2 County CCS-109 reissue + "Paradise Valley" + "How Can You Forget So Soon"
1982 Bluegrass Special Koala A14541 Dot reissue
1986 24 Great Hits De Luxe DLX-7790
1989 Classic Bluegrass Rebel REB-CD-1106
1992 Early Dot Recordings Volume 3 County CCS-113 also MCA MSD-35153
1992 Rare Singles And Radio Transcriptions Cowgirlboy LP-5067 (Germany)
1997 20 Old Time Country Favorites Rural Rhythm Records RHYCD-258 reissue of RRMW-258
2001 Mac Wiseman Sings The Gospel, Vol. 1 Music Mill 50103 also Wise 103
2001 Mac Wiseman Sings The Gospel, Vol. 2 Music Mill 50104 also Wise 104
2001 At the Toronto Horseshoe Club Music Mill 50105 also Wise 105
2001 The Most Requested CMH CMH-8586
2002 The Heart Of A Legend Madacy 4446
2003 The Singles Music Mill 70037
2004 Tis Sweet To Be Remembered: Complete Recordings 1951-1964 Bear Family BCD-15976 (Germany) 6-CD set, Dot/Capitol reissue
2005 Precious Moments BCI 41142
2006 The Best Of Mac Wiseman – Essential Original Masters Rural Rhythm Records 312 Original Undubbed Mono Mixes of RRMW-158, plus several additional cuts taken from Mac Wiseman's personal archive.
2006 On Susan's Floor Bear Family BCD-16736 (Germany) 4-CD set, Dot, Rodeo/Wise, Rural Rhythm, and RCA Reissue
2009 Bluegrass Hits And Heart Songs Rebel CD-7523
Notable singles
Year Single Chart Positions Album
US Country CAN Country
1955 "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" 10 — Single only
1959 "Jimmy Brown the Newsboy" 5 — Great Folk Ballads
1963 "Your Best Friend and Me" 12 — Singles only
1968 "Got Leavin' On Her Mind" 54 —
1969 "Johnny's Cash and Charley's Pride" 38 30 Sings Johnny's Cash and Charley's Pride
1978 "Never Going Back Again" 78 — Singles only
1979 "My Blue Heaven" (with Woody Herman) 69 —
"Scotch and Soda" 88 —
"Shackles and Chains" (with Osborne Brothers) 95 — The Essential Bluegrass Album
Guest singles
Year Single Artist US Country Album
1990 "Tomorrow's World" Various artists 74 Single only
Peace In The Valley
Mac Wiseman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I must go alone
Till the lord comes and calls, calls me away, oh yes
Well the morning's so bright
And the lamp is alight
And the night, night is as black as the sea, oh yes
There will be peace in the valley for me, some day
There'll be no sadness, no sorrow
No trouble, trouble I see
There will be peace in the valley for me, for me
Well the bear will be gentle
And the wolves will be tame
And the lion shall lay down by the lamb, oh yes
And the beasts from the wild
Shall be lit by a child
And I'll be changed, changed from this creature that I am, oh yes
There will be peace in the valley for me, some day
There will be peace in the valley for me, oh Lord I pray
There'll be no sadness, no sorrow
No trouble, trouble I see
There will be peace in the valley for me, for me
The lyrics to Mac Wiseman's "Peace in the Valley" are filled with religious allusions and metaphors, seeking to illustrate the hope and promise of eternal rest and peace. The opening lines, "Oh well, I'm tired and so weary, but I must go alone till the lord comes and calls, calls me away," conveys a sense of exhaustion and longing for spiritual release, while acknowledging the inevitability of death. The following lines, "Well the morning's so bright and the lamp is alight, and the night, night is as black as the sea," juxtapose the brightness of hope and faith with the darkness of despair.
The refrain, "There will be peace in the valley for me, some day, there will be peace in the valley for me, oh Lord I pray. There'll be no sadness, no sorrow, no trouble, trouble I see, there will be peace in the valley for me, for me," expounds the idea of the promised land, where there is no pain, sorrow, or trouble. Harmony between animals and humans is promised as well, with "The bear will be gentle, and the wolves will be tame, and the lion shall lay down by the lamb, and the beasts from the wild shall be lit by a child." This utopic vision of a world without strife and cruelty is immediately tied to a spiritual renewal, with the singer expressing the hope to be "changed from this creature that I am."
In essence, "Peace in the Valley" serves as a hymn of the faithful, expressing their hope for a better life beyond the current one, free from pain and suffering. Its melody has moved many, over the years reaching a beyond the religious circles it was originally created for.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh well, I'm tired and so weary
I am exhausted and drained
But I must go alone
I must face this journey by myself
Till the lord comes and calls, calls me away, oh yes
I will carry on until the time comes for me to pass away
Well the morning's so bright
The day is full of hope and new beginnings
And the lamp is alight
The light of truth is shining
And the night, night is as black as the sea, oh yes
Even in the darkest of times, I hold on to hope
There will be peace in the valley for me, some day
I trust there will be a time of eternal peace for me
There will be peace in the valley for me, oh Lord I pray
I pray for a time of peace and rest from life's struggles
There'll be no sadness, no sorrow
There will be no more pain or heartache
No trouble, trouble I see
There will be no hardship or difficulty
There will be peace in the valley for me, for me
I believe in the promise of peace after a life of toil and hardship
Well the bear will be gentle
Even the wildest of creatures will be peaceful
And the wolves will be tame
All creatures will live in harmony
And the lion shall lay down by the lamb, oh yes
Even the predators will live peacefully with their prey
And the beasts from the wild
All creatures from the wild
Shall be lit by a child
Will be guided by a child
And I'll be changed, changed from this creature that I am, oh yes
I will be made into something better
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Tratore, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Bluewater Music Corp., O/B/O CAPASSO, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Thomas A. Dorsey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Glenn Roberts Jr.
on Going Like Wildfire
Great song - wildfire makes for a great analogy.