Legendary Guitar Player McGavock “Mac” Gayden Has Died
You’re not going to find a lot of accounts of legendary Nashville guitarist Mac Gayden that claim he was one of the twangiest session players in history, or that he was a keeper of the country music flame. That’s just not what you called upon Mac Gayden for. You called on him when you wanted something a little different, something a little more soulful, with a rhythm and blues disposition brought to country, or maybe a rock edge.
And the people in country music and beyond that called upon Mac Gayden, they did so often, making him one of the most prolific and accomplished Nashville session guitar players to ever do it. Gayden was considered part of the elite group of session players known as the “Nashville Cats” for decades, along with being a “first-call” member of that distinguished group, meaning you always tried to get him first, and got someone else only when Mac wasn’t available.
It’s for this reason that Bob Dylan producer Bob Johnston once called Mac Gayden, “The best guitar player I ever heard.” Mac appeared on Dylan’s legendary album Blonde on Blonde, but as often happened in the era, Gayden’s work on the album went uncredited. That wouldn’t be the case for songs from Charley Pride, Charlie Rich, Tammy Wynette, Kris Kristofferson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Michael Martin Murphey, Linda Ronstadt, John Hiatt, Loudon Wainwright, Elvis Presley, and many more in the country realm.
Mac Gayden was also one of the reasons non country artists wanted to come to Nashville and record. That’s how he ended up on songs by Simon & Garfunkel, Leonard Cohen, The Pointer Sisters, Bobby Vinton, The Valentines, and so on and so forth. Many cite Gayden’s slide + wah-wah pedal combination on the J.J. Cale song “Crazy Mama” as an example of his innovative and enterprising approach to the guitar.
Though Gayden’s guitar credits are immense, it might be his songwriting credits that many in the public would recognize more. The R&B song “Everlasting Love” would be a hit for scores of performers on it’s way to becoming an American standard. Carl Carlton, Gloria Estefan, and even U2 would have success with the song. But the original version was written by Mac Gayden and Buzz Cason after they heard soul singer Robert Knight singing at a gig at Vanderbilt University, and decided to write for him.
Gayden and Cason would also write “Love on a Mountain Top” and “My Rainbow Valley” for Robert Knight. Country artists who recorded Mac Gayden songs include Bobby Bare and Porter Wagoner, while he also worked as a producer, collaborating with Steve Young, Dianne Davidson, and others. Gayden would release his own solo album in 1972, as well as Skyboat (1975), Hymn to the Seeker (1976), and Nirvana Blues (1996).
Born June 5, 1941 as McGavock Dickinson Gayden, he was one of country music’s few Nashville natives, who grew up in a prominent Nashville family that wanted him to be a doctor. But as a teenager, Gayden fell into the bad influence of Country Hall of Famer Charlie McCoy, and the rock and roll band The Escorts. They were one of Nashville’s hottest local bands, and Gayden got to be known throughout the business.
Later Mac Gayden would also play in the supergroup Area Code 615, as well as the legendary Barefoot Jerry referenced in the Charlie Daniels song “The South’s Gonna Do It Again.” Later Gayden would form Wild Child Records that worked with more independent artists. As a key contributor to Nashville music, Gayden was featured in both the Country Music Hall of Fame exhibits “Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues” with his song “Everlasting Love” featured prominently, and the “Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats” exhibit.
Mac Gayden passed away on April 16, 2025 at the age of 83.
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April 19, 2025 @ 9:52 am
Great read!
Love his solo on Crazy Mama!
April 19, 2025 @ 12:51 pm
Always thought that was JJ on Crazy Mama. Wasn’t aware of this guy. Thanks for posting.
April 19, 2025 @ 4:17 pm
Ahhh, an Area Code 615 player alongside Wayne Moss. Nice! Those guys were the pickers! Barefoot Jerry came after. Yeah, for years everytime I’d play The Souths Gonna Do it Again, I’d wonder who is this Barefoot Jerry? Eventually I figured it out. They were a collective of hippie superpickers and Charlie was in that same orbit. He also played on a couple Dylan records including Nashville Skyline. I’ve been on a never ending quest to find and listen to all the long- lost Southern rock and Country- rock of that late 60s, early 70s era. Thanks for putting this out.
April 19, 2025 @ 10:31 pm
Interesting background. Per NYT obit, Gayden went to prep school in Orange County, New York. His father was a doctor, but his mother was a competitive equestrian who gave it up after almost getting killed falling from a horse in Madison Square Garden. They don’t say if that was before or after Mac was born, but in those days, especially, women athletes would typically retire from sport before starting a family. He also served in the U.S. military.
His life story seems to have some parallels to Kristofferson, who was from the same era, though there’s no indication that Gayden’s persuing a career in music instead of his parents’ preferred path caused any deep family rift.
April 20, 2025 @ 3:39 am
Thanks for tipping me to the Times obit, which I’d missed. It mentions another cut Gayden played on, “Absolutely Sweet Marie” on Blonde on Blonde. I just listened to it on headphones and the guitar is amazing. And thanks as always to Trigger for his excellent obit, telling me about another great musician I’d never heard of. You have to be pretty special to play standout guitar on a J.J. Cale song.
April 20, 2025 @ 4:27 pm
A bit of a side detour, check out the version of Absolutely Sweet Maria by the cow-punk band Jason & The Scorchers. it BLAZES! JATS (hence, part of my posting name) was my gateway band to get me into alt-country and country music.
April 20, 2025 @ 5:03 pm
I’ll bite, what is the Mats part of your posting name?
Cool to know about the Jats part.
Going to look Jason & The Scorchers up in a few.
April 21, 2025 @ 10:53 am
The Replacements. Their nickname was the Mats. Couldn’t get enough of them in the mid-to-late 80’s. Historic performance on SNL that got them banned for life from NBC. Not exactly country or country adjacent!
April 21, 2025 @ 1:21 am
I know that version and I absolutely love Jason and the Scorchers. Thunder and Fire is one of my favorite albums. Otis Gibbs did an interview with Warner Hodges where he told about opening for Dylan on a tour and Dylan asked him why they weren’t doing Absolutely Sweet Marie, which he liked better than his version.
April 20, 2025 @ 6:50 am
Barefoot Jerry is a great band that didn’t get the respect that it deserved in the mainstream, The great steel player Russ Hicks was also in that band.
RIP Mac!