Ruth Davies’ Blues Night featuring Sean “Mack” McDonald

When John Lee Hooker needed to put some boom in his “Boom Boom,” he gave Ruth Davies a call. When R&B great Charles Brown sought a supple pulse for his cool West Coast blues, Davies supplied the beat. And when Elvin Bishop required extra propulsion for a new band, Davies provided the fuel. Over the past four decades, she’s been the bassist of choice for dozens of masters across blues, jazz, R&B, and beyond, from Taj Mahal and Barbara Dane to Clark Terry and Maria Muldaur.

At Stanford, she’s taken it upon herself to ensure the blues always has a place on the program, bringing in a special guest each season. She’s usually featured a well-established star — a Charlie Musselwhite, Joe Louis Walker, or Ruthie Foster. But this year’s featured artist is 23-year-old Sean “Mack” McDonald, an Augusta, Georgia-raised guitarist at the forefront of a new wave of brilliant young Black musicians revitalizing the blues. Steeped in Chicago and West Coast postwar blues, he channels the sounds of Bobby “Blue” Bland, Louis Jordan, T-Bone Walker, and early B.B. King.

Artist Website

Sanctuary Magazine Article

Personnel:

• Sean “Mack” McDonald, guitar & vocals
• Ruth Davies, bass
• Kristen Strom, saxophone
• John R Burr, keys, piano & organ
• Danny Caron, guitar
• Leon Joyce Jr., drums