RIP Bill Mack Country Music Icon

Jim_S

Resident Curmudgeon
Gold Site Supporter
Bill lost his battle with Covid 19 this morning. he was 88. I met him when I was a kid growing up in Wichita Falls. He was a disk jockey at KWFT AM with Joe Tom White. He also had a Country Western show on KWFT-TV. Bill moved to Fort Worth in 1969 to work for AM powerhouse WBAP 820, a 50,000 watt clear channel station heard all at night all over the country. I listened to his night time show as I traveled around the country.

Bill was a prolific writer. His best known songs include Clinging To A Saving Hand (Connie Smith) and Drinking Champagne (Cal Smith, Jerry Lee Lewis, George Strait). Mack wrote the song "Blue" and recorded it for Starday. In 1996 it was a #1 hit for LeAnn Rimes. He picked up a country song Grammy Award for "Blue" in 1997.

Texas-born country music radio host Bill Mack dies from COVID-19

Bill Mack's son announced the death Friday morning on social media. He said his father had underlying health conditions.

https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/l...d-19/287-502f33b3-f879-473d-a3b7-f57ab9c8fc05

DALLAS — Country music radio host Bill Mack died Friday morning from COVID-19, according to post on Facebook shared by son. Mack was 88 years old.

His son stated that Bill Mack had underlying health conditions.

"He was an amazing father, grandfather, great grandfather, and husband to my mom. I’m blessed to have had not only a great dad but my best friend as well," his son said in a tweet.

Mack, who was born in Shamrock, Texas, was also well-known in the country music industry as a singer and songwriter.

He wrote the song Drinking Champagne which was released in 1968 and was sang by fellow Texan George Strait.

According to the Texas Heritage Songwriter's Association, Strait’s recording of the song won Bill a Platinum Album after he sold one million copies.

Then in 1997 when Mack's song called Blue, which was covered by LeAnn Rimes won a Grammy when it was voted, "The Country Song Of The Year in 1996."

Throughout his career, Mack was closely associated with truckers and millions of listeners through his radio programs recorded out of Dallas-Fort Worth beginning in 1969.

In 1999, he was placed in “The Texas Country Music Hall-of-Fame” and “The Texas Country Music Disk Jockey Hall-of-Fame," according to THSA.

Friday morning several members took to social media to pay tribute to Mack.


Saddened to hear about the passing of Bill Mack. He was a legend in country music and a dear friend and frequent guest at Billy Bob's Texas. He will be greatly missed. ❤️

— Billy Bob's Texas (@BillyBobsTexas) July 31, 2020

Many more tweets at the link:

https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/l...d-19/287-502f33b3-f879-473d-a3b7-f57ab9c8fc05
 

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Jim_S

Resident Curmudgeon
Gold Site Supporter
Blue

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GozdIQx1Wow[/ame]

Drinking Champagne

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFAB0XjircE[/ame]
 
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