I had the pleasure of meeting one of my
favorite musicians the one and only Mac Arnold at a blues club. I sat down with
him and asked him if I may interview him. He smiled and said of course.
What made you love music?
I
grew up in the church doing gospel music and I started listening to the radio.
I found WLAC in Nashville. They were playing blues. So that’s how I fell in
love with the blues.
Did you learn anything from working
with Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Otis Redding, and Otis Spann?
Did
I learn anything? I learned all I know from Muddy Waters and I’m so happy to be
representing him in a big way. Next year, no, this year before the year is out
we’ll have something big celebrating the life of Muddy Waters.
Oh that’s fantastic.
Oh
yeah.
How did you get involved with Sanford
and Son?
Well
I was working for Quincy Jones and Quincy Jones did a lot of music through the
70s and 80s. I happened to be there and I got to play bass for Sanford and Son.
What was it like producing Soul Train?
Fantastic
man. I got to meet all the people I didn’t get to meet when I was in Chicago. I
was working with Don Cornelius and I was doing backup music for Don’s
entertainers that he had in Chicago. He was one of the guys that did the
fundraisers from WBON, which was a radio station in Chicago. When he got the
Soul Train going he wanted to take it over to California. So I asked him if I
could be a part of it and he said yes. So I met him in California and we
started doing Soul Train in 1971 and I did Soul Train until 1975.
I’ve always wanted to go back in time
and dance with the Soul Train audience.
Yeah
that was rad.
What kind of person was Don Cornelius?
Don
was really quiet. He was in his own little world. Good guy though. Good
attitude, but very quiet.
Why did you retire from music?
I
wanted to do everything so I started doing video instead of playing music all
the time. At that particular time I played music in studios and you need backup
music here and there for Lancer records, Eldorado Studios, and Hollywood. I
never stopped playing, but I didn’t play in the clubs anymore. I did videos
instead.
Someone told me you were a trucker,
were you actually one?
Well
that’s how I met Max Hightower my Harmonica and bass guitar player. He was
working for a company that leased the truck to the company that I was working
for, which was Belk. We got together that way. I met Max and we got playing
music. I was reluctant because how people usually are about their attitude
towards rehearsing and not being at the job on time. So it took Max about ten
years to get me to say yeah. It took me another three to four years to get the
musicians together and we’ve been together for the 17th year.
What made you come back to music? It
wasn’t just Max’s persistence was it?
Haha
no. Well it’s my love for music. I love music so much. You just can’t get away
from it if you love it the way I do.
What advice would you give young
musicians?
Practice,
practice, practice, and get good. And I definitely want to see you out there
and if I could do anything to help you get out there in music. Contact me.
That’s what I’m all about. We do blues in the schools all the time. I collect
instruments, if the instruments don’t play we fix them, and then we donate them
to the schools. The schools donate them to the students. And I have a
foundation called I Can Do Anything Foundation its for the preservation for the
music and arts in public schools. And that’s where my instrument and will to
give back to young musicians.
That’s wonderful, I know schools need
the music and arts.
Yes
they do. My foundation is registered in South Carolina, but I’m free to go all
over the United States. We’ve even did blues in the schools in Europe.
I definitely know Florida public
schools need that.
Yeah, well you know I’d like to work it up and do some blues in the schools in
Florida. In fact I’d love to do blues in the schools all over the United States
if we could get it set up. Well you know me I’d love to anything
Well speaking of doing anything. Do you
think you’ll ever do a gospel album?
Uhh,
it’s possible. Very possible, but I have a very special thing coming up like I
said with Muddy Waters
Thank-you so much for your time.
No, thank-you.
