Ronnie Mack: Portrait of a Country Music Hero

by Janna Pendragon

Since January of 1988, Ronnie Mack, the patron saint of the country music scene in Los Angeles, has hosted and produced his Tuesday night Barn Dance, first at Little Nashville, and then at the club Palomino in North Hollywood. Mack’s mission is to prove that you don’t have to be in Tennessee in order to produce quality that appeals to a large audience.

During the course of his almost seven years as the savior of honky tonk music here in Southern California, Mack has contributed to the development of many careers. Boy Howdy, now national recording artists, were once Ronnie’s house band at the Barn Dance. Dave Alvin, Rosie Flores, Billy Block, Dale Watson, and James Intveld have all benefited through an association with him. Anybody who is anybody has been on the Barn Dance, including Curb recording artist Jackson Claypool and Highton Records rockabilly stars Big Sandy and His Fly Rite Boys.

For the California country and roots-music community, Ronnie has long been a beacon of light. Mack, a native of Baltimore who came west 18 years ago to pursue a career in music, holds court every Tuesday night at the Palomino. This venue provides artists with the opportunity to play on the same stage as Hank Williams and Johnny Cash, as well as the chance to become a part of the growing country and roots-music community that calls the “Pal” home.

But what is often overlooked is the fact that Ronnie Mack is a recording artist whose contribution on A Town South of Bakersfield III is powerful and suggestive of an early Merle Haggard. He’s also recorded a duet with Rosie Flores, “Brand New Heartache,” which can be found on Lonesome Town Records. As a guitarist and performer he has won numerous awards from the California Country Music Association, including the prestigious Performer of the Year award.

How long will Ronnie Mack continue to produce and host the Tuesday night country and roots-music celebration at the Pal? No one knows for sure, but Mack certainly has no intention of stopping now. ♦