Album Notes

When you think about Detroit, think about The “O.G.” (Ol’ Gangsta’) of Music, Sir Mack Rice, “Yesterday’s Hero”. Sir Mack Rice was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, the official birthplace of the blues in 1933, the same place Ike Turner was from.
“I grew up loving the music of Ray Charles, Amos Milburn, Charles Brown, Sonny Boy Williamson, Percy Mayfield and Louis Jordan just to name a few and I have always loved funky music. In 1950 my family moved to Detroit, MI. In the mid 1950’s I joined the Falcons singing group with the late great Joe Stubbs, the late great (Wicked) Wilson Pickett, Willie Schofield, Lance Finney and the enormously successful Eddie Floyd (of “Knock On Wood” fame). Out of that fantastic group came two smash hits on The Falcons, “You’re So Fine” and “I Found a Love”. This was the first group out of Detroit to appear on the Dick Clark Show. But, for my “claim to fame”, “Mustang Sally” was the one song that really started the ball to rolling. I was blessed to join the STAX Record Company in Memphis, Tennessee and out of that mixture, I wrote “Respect Yourself” recorded by The Staple Singers and later by Bruce Willis and others, “Cheaper To Keep Her” recorded by the late Johnny Taylor, “Do The Breakdown” recorded by my main man, the late great Rufus Thomas and last but not least, “Cadillac Assembly Line” recorded by the late Mr. Albert King. There have been hundreds of throwaways written. I have given you “Mustang Sally”, encouraged you to “Respect Yourself” and let you men know that it’s “Cheaper To Keep Her”, sometimes you have to “Do The Breakdown’, but keep working on the “Cadillac Assembly Line”, and now I am out to “Get That Money” though before it runs out. Our music is Hip Hop Blues as only (The O.G.) an Ol’ Gangsta’ can do it!”