Daddy Mack Blues Band

A late comer to the blues scene in Memphis, this band is still steeped in history. From its close association with the Fieldstones (almost everyone in the band played for the group at some point in either the late 80’s or early 90’s), to the fact that the nucleus of the band, James and Harold Bonner, had been playing in and around the Memphis area for upwards of 30 years. However, the group is named and centered around “Daddy” Mack Orr, an auto mechanic who had only recently picked up guitar. From his first days after picking up his first guitar at a pawn shop, Orr was determined to practice and make a name for himself, and managed to develop a unique and expressive style built heavily upon the styles of other major Memphis guitarists.

Originally discovered and brought into the studio by graduate student Scott Henley, the band would quickly work to record their first record. While it was recorded at High Water Studios, their first album found a more permanent home with Inside Sounds, a Memphis label owned by Eddie Dattel. He would love working with the group, and not only produced the album, but would work closely with Orr and guitarist Wally Ford on later releases to compose and arrange most of the band’s music.

The name of the album only came after licensing was completed with Inside Sounds, and is actually thanks in part to the Center for Southern Folklore. Judy Peiser, the co-founder of the organization, would often introduce the band by noting that she would “have to wait another week or two” for her car to be fixed. Upon hearing this, Dattel came up with the idea for the first album, “Fix It When I Can”.

Despite only having one album released through High Water, the Daddy Mack Blues Band would continue to dazzle Memphis audiences for another great while. With seven total albums being released between 1999 and 2014. The band would also begin touring nationally, often performing upwards of 100 or more major gigs outside of Memphis in a year’s span. The last major Daddy Mack album was released in 2014. However, Orr can still be found around Memphis, and still often works on cars at his garage in town.