Rice was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He began his work in the R&B field in the 1950s based in Detroit, performing with the Five Scalders in 1956 and with the Falcons, a group whose members included Eddie Floyd, Wilson Pickett and Joe Stubbs, from 1957 to 1963. He performed as a solo vocalist in the years to follow, but his biggest successes were as songwriter for other artists on labels like Stax and others in the 1960s and following decades. He began his solo vocalist career at Stax in 1967, recording on Atco Records beginning in 1968. Rice is one of the few musicians whose career touched both Motown and Stax Records.
As a solo recording artist, he had two chart hits: "Mustang Sally", which reached number 15 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1965, and "Coal Man", which reached number 48 on the soul music chart in 1969. Besides "Mustang Sally", which also became a major hit for Wilson Pickett in 1966, and "Respect Yourself", a hit for the Staple Singers, his other songs include "Betcha Can't Kiss Me (Just One Time)", "Cheaper to Keep Her", "Cadillac Assembly Line", "Money Talks", "Cold Women With Warm Hearts", "Do the Funky Penguin, Pt. 1", "It Sho Ain't Me", and "Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'". His compositions have been performed by many well-known artists, including the Staple Singers, Ike and Tina Turner, Albert King, Johnnie Taylor, Shirley Brown, Rufus Thomas, Etta James, Billy Eckstine, Eddie Floyd, Buddy Guy, The Rascals, The Kingsmen, Wilson Pickett, Albert Collins, Busta Rhymes, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Otis Clay and The Blues Brothers (in Blues Brothers 2000).
In 1992, backed by the soul band The Dynatones, Rice released his first solo album, Right Now on Blue Suit Records, recorded and mixed by Steve Scharren at Scharren Studios in Toledo, Ohio. On it he reprised a number of his hit songs along with a mixture of new tunes.
Rice continued to live in the Detroit area. He died at home in Detroit on June 27, 2016, aged 82, from complications of Alzheimer's disease.
Mustang Sally
Sir Mack Rice Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I thank you better slow your Mustang down
Mustang Sally, my baby
Thank you better slow your Mustang down
You been a runnin' all over the town now, baby
I'll home my have to put your big feet on the ground
All you wanna do is a ride around, baby yes (ride Sally ride)
All you wanna do is a ride around, baby yes (ride Sally ride)
All you wanna do is a ride around, baby yes (ride Sally ride)
One of these early mornings
You gonna be wipin' your weepin' eyes
Honey... (?)
I bought you a brand new Mustang
I nineteen sixty-five
Count with summer that signifyin' ja
Don't wanna let me ride
Mustang Sally, now baby
Thank you better slow that Mustang down
You just keep on a runnin' around
Oh, my have to put your flat feet on the ground
All you wanna do is a ride around, baby just (ride Sally ride)
All you wanna do is a ride around, Sally (ride Sally ride)...
In Sir Mack Rice’s song “Mustang Sally”, the singer advises Sally to slow down her Mustang car. Sally’s obsession with the car and riding around seems to have overtaken her life and the singer is concerned that it might be the reason she has been running all over town. He warns her that she might have to finally put her feet on the ground to avoid any danger that may come her way. The singer then reminds her that he had bought her a new Mustang in 1965, but Sally refuses to let him ride it. The song exudes slight anger and frustration on the part of the singer towards Sally’s obsession with the car and her desire to keep on driving it with disregard to any potential danger.
It's difficult to understand why the Mustang car is so important to Sally, and why she is willing to jeopardize everything for it. However, from the singer's perspective, Sally is being irresponsible and somewhat selfish. The repetition of "ride Sally ride" throughout the song emphasizes Sally's obsession with the car and how it has become her sole focus.
Line by Line Meaning
Mustang Sally
The song is addressed to a woman named Sally who loves riding around in her Mustang.
I thank you better slow your Mustang down
The singer warns Sally that she needs to slow down and stop moving recklessly in her car.
You been a runnin' all over the town now, baby I'll home my have to put your big feet on the ground
Sally has been acting irresponsibly, and if she continues, the singer will have to take action.
All you wanna do is a ride around, baby yes (ride Sally ride)
Sally's only desire is to drive her Mustang around, and the song encourages her to keep doing so.
One of these early mornings You gonna be wipin' your weepin' eyes Honey... (?)
If Sally continues driving recklessly, it will eventually lead to consequences that make her cry.
I bought you a brand new Mustang I nineteen sixty-five Count with summer that signifyin' ja Don't wanna let me ride
The singer bought Sally a new Mustang in 1965, but for some reason, she doesn't want him to ride in it with her.
Mustang Sally, now baby Thank you better slow that Mustang down You just keep on a runnin' around Oh, my have to put your flat feet on the ground
The singer repeats his warning that Sally needs to slow down and sober up or else he'll have to step in.
All you wanna do is a ride around, baby just (ride Sally ride) All you wanna do is a ride around, Sally (ride Sally ride)...
The song repeats its refrain, encouraging Sally to keep driving her car.
Contributed by Elena W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Claude Perreault
Whenever I want to learn a new song I always try to find the original version and as many alternate versions as possible. Then I can get the true essence and hear different arrangements. What a great song!
Scottish Medic
Exactly. I've been doing that for years. Plus, it almost always turns into awesome history lessons.
Bikers On Call
I usually go with the most popular, but in this
case I found Wilson Pickets to be the smoooooothest
arrangement of the 'three' though everyone covers
this song, the 3 I considered; Rice, Picket, and Guy,
Picket won out, such a nice treatment.
Ellel Bee
How great to hear the original! Wilson Pickett might have supercharged his version, along with his backing band, but it's these good bones they had to work with. Thank you for posting this!
soulpower11
This song has been covered so often. Hopefully, Sir Mack had a comfortable living from the residuals.
John Thompson
He did, actually
andersport
This is the first time I heard this version...I guess like Hank Ballard (The Twist) he was bit ahead of his time! However when Wilson Pickett took it to the top of the charts, and then the Young Rascals did it, he counted his royalties and residuals.
Dragan Leles
Rice was visiting singer Della Reese, who was considering buying a new Lincoln Continental for her drummer and band leader Calvin Shields for his birthday. Rice and other band members were teasing Shields about the pending gift, and Shields replied that he did not want a Lincoln; he wanted a Ford Mustang. Rice had never heard of the Mustang, which had just come out, but he teased Shields about wanting a smaller car. He decided there might be a song in the situation, changing it to be about a woman who doesn't want to do anything but ride around in her new car. Rice called the early version "Mustang Mama", but changed the title after Aretha Franklin suggested "Mustang Sally" because he used the name Sally in the chorus.
David Everett
Great information! Thank you.
U name it
Thank you for this :)