I had concluded the day's "Bluegrass Cafe" show Sunday night, and shortly after making my way home from the studio I got the e-mail notice from a bluegrass friend further north: Mac McHale had died.

Having not lived in New England until this century, I first learned of Mac McHale when I began seeing notices on the the New England Bluegrass e-mail list of performances by Mac McHale and the Radio Gang. 

It wasn't until the Joe Val festival in 2011 that I finally got to hear Mac. He was on the schedule early Saturday, and though not as commercially polished as some of the super groups to show up later, something about Mac struck me as genuine and good. Here was a North-easterner who really knew his country roots. I made a point to spend some time with Mac at his record table where he confirmed my lofty expectations. Mac was the real thing. I could just imagine him being glued to a radio and WWVA when he was a kid.

Mac immediately keyed in on my connection to WHUS and started working me for potential gigs. I introduced Mac to Roger Moss, the promoter of the Podunk Bluegrass Music Festival in Connecticut, and Mac worked The Radio Gang onto the Podunk schedule that August. In the meantime I enjoyed listening to Mac's CDs and played a few tracks on Bluegrass Cafe.

Then sometime around 2011 Mac sent me a new CD -- a duo effort he called Taylors Grove that he recorded with North Carolina transplant Carolyn Hutton. I heard Mac say later that when he first sang with Carolyn, he heard "the sound" he had been searching for a lifetime. It was an unlikely pairing -- Carolyn with her North Carolina accent, and Mac with his thick Maine accent. Neither changed, but it sounded remarkably good together, and I fell in love with that effort. Here was an updated version of the music Marti and I had played on Red Rooster Party for three years, but completely compatible with the old-time aesthetic. 

The CD was full of old-timey country songs ranging from Carter Family standards like "Gold Watch And Chain" to more obscure folk tunes like "Goodbye Little Bonnie." I started playing songs from the CD on Bluegrass Cafe immediately. Probably the second time I played the CD I got a call from Mac while I was on the air. He was completely unaware I had been playing his CD, and had called to ask that I consider playing it. I was very happy to tell him he was too late, I had beat him to it.

After playing a Taylors Grove tune on nearly every show I hosted, I finally got to see Mac and Carolyn perform last April at David N. Helman's Country Corner Coffee House series in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Meeting Mac again and Carolyn for the first time was like long lost friends finding each other. Marti and I had quite a wonderful evening sharing North Carolina experiences with Carolyn and listening to her and Mac perform a great show. A few months later Carolyn even mentioned us in a Bluegrass Unlimited article about Taylors Grove.

On Sunday, November 11, 2012, the Taylors Grove song I played on Bluegrass Cafe was "Going Back To Dixie." For me Dixie is certainly Heaven on this earth. Godspeed to Mac McHale as he makes his journey.

Jim Beaver
11/12/2012

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