# Mustang Sally **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 30, 2003, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mustang-sally/165286 "2003-03-30T21:55:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mustang-sally/165286/61 "2003-04-02T20:28:14Z")
**Ogre** - that must’ve been incredibly cool! I envy you that experience. **Persephone** - that was a hilarious story!! **John Carter** - thanks for the info and the links; I reckon that’ll hold me until **elelle** gets back. And she does indeed know her music. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mustang-sally/165286/62 "2003-04-02T21:42:23Z")
Originally posted by jinwicked I’m happy to say I haven’t got a damned clue what this thread is about > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PhiloVance \* > \*\*Me, either. 😕 \*\* Damn kids! _mumble, mumble, mumble_ ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mustang-sally/165286/63 "2003-04-03T01:53:48Z")
Mmm. guess I’m on the spot. Here goes: Sir Mack Rice was indeed born Bonny Rice, in Clarksdale MSPI. He was rechristened by blues eclectic Andre Williams, who produced _Mustang Sally_. “Bonny” just wasn’t gonna cut it in the music biz in Andre’s astute eyes. Mr. Rice went by Mack, but Andre wanted to give him some extra stage pizazz, so Sir Mack Rice came into being. The story behind _Mustang Sally_ is interesting, too. Mack was staying at Della Reese’s house, and was talking to her drummer. Della had a nice habit of giving her musicians a car for their birthday, usually a Lincoln. Mack was all whupped up about drummer Calvin getting a Lincoln, but Calvin said he’d rather have a Mustang, cause he looooved that car. Mack was aghast that Calvin would rather have a Mustang, so started making a joke of it, writing some lyrics. He originally called it _Mustang Mama_, but back in Detroit, showed it to Ted White, (later Mr. Aretha Franklin), and they took it over to Aretha’s house. They taped it, and Aretha suggested he call it _Mustang Sally_. So there ya go, the Rest of the Story… Sir Mack is by no means a one-hit wonder. He’s written hundreds of songs, many during the Stax golden age. (It was **Ogre’s** man Steve Cropper that lured Sir Mack to Memphis) Some of Rice’s better known songs are: _Respect Yourself_(Staple Singers), _Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin’_ (Albert King), _Do The Funky Penguin_ Rufus Thomas, and _Tina the Go-Go Queen_, (Alex Chilton and Tav Falco). Sir Mack also has a hearty voice hisown self, and has resurfaced from his sideline asphalt business, recording some new records in the past few years. I saw him awhile back at the Chicago Blues Festival, and he just whupped the hell out of that ol’ \* Mustang Sally\*. I’m glad he’s getting some hefty royalties from the movie world. The Wilson Pickett connection? Sir Mack was in the Falcons with Pickett back in the sixties. These stories fall in the common knowledge about Mack, but there is a good interview by Christine Child in _Living Blues_ magazine, June 1993. Okey Doke, back to your regularly scheduled song-bashing! Hope I didn’t detract too much. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mustang-sally/165286/64 "2003-04-03T02:41:22Z")
Kudos, **elelle**! Another bluesman from Clarksdale? Weren’t Jimmy Reed, T-Bone Walker and one or two others also from Clarksdale? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mustang-sally/165286/65 "2003-04-03T02:57:09Z")
One cure for some of these songs is to make up new lyrics for them. \*There’s a lady who’s sure All that glistens is pure And she’s buying a barrel of heroin When she tries it she’ll know From the strychnine glow How a moth feels while breathing in camphor\* ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mustang-sally/165286/66 "2003-04-03T03:03:09Z")
Umm, add on John Lee Hooker and Ike Turner, and o’course Jackie Brenston, of \* Rocket 88\* fame, the beginning of rock-n-roll. Lotsa lesser-knowns, too…Clarksdale had a great history. OK, I’ve hijacked this enough. Just wanted to give Sir Mack the shout-out he well deserves. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mustang-sally/165286/67 "2003-04-03T03:56:29Z")
Now we know ‘the rest of the story’! Thanks, **elelle**! 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mustang-sally/165286.md?page=3)