My aunt and uncle used to listen to him. I sent them this link.
Posted on 04/16/2005 8:00:57 AM PDT by Theodore R.
Hooked on Mac Five fans go extra mile to meet up for concert
BY WILLIAM KERNS A-J ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Mac Davis made the musical plea "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me" in 1972. Thirty-three years later, fans still refuse to take his lyrics to heart.
Davis is no stranger to stardom, but he plays a lot more golf than songs these days. That makes today's 8 p.m. Lubbock Memorial Civic Center Theatre concert by the Lubbock-born entertainer a rare opportunity for fans.
Five women from four different states traveled to Lubbock this weekend to meet one another and attend a show headlined by the entertainer they have admired for three decades. They are moms now, with jobs as varied as flight attendant, medical transcriptionist, teacher and homemaker.
The only two who already were friends have not seen one another for at least 20 years. It took a Mac Davis concert to spark a reunion.
Davis, 63, responded from his California home this week. "Of course I'm flattered. I'm just astonished that anyone still remembers me, really."
The travelers met online at the Country Music Television Web site (cmt.com), where they logged on to a Mac Davis board out of curiosity and learned about the Lubbock concert.
Florida resident Mary Ayers recalled, "I had to find out if it was true. I called (the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center) right away; they said it was true, but tickets were not on sale yet."
She spread the news.
Gradually, others from Michigan, Arizona and Mississippi conferred with husbands, family members and friends and decided to meet in Lubbock for the concert. Kay and Tommy Davis, arts festival co-chairmen, were intrigued and on Thursday confirmed a private "meet and greet" with Davis tonight "only for fans who traveled these very long distances for the show."
Ironically, Ayers, the first of the five to buy a ticket, never before has traveled to see a concert. "But I saw Mac twice in Chicago a long time ago," she said, "and I never have gotten over him."
Her husband took her to the first concert; her daughters accompanied her to the second.
Ayers added, "I was a pop fan. I never would have heard Mac's music if 'Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me' hadn't crossed over to pop charts. I read that country music did not claim Mac and neither did rock; my opinion is he was an improvement on both of them."
Florida resident Lisa Mendelsohn and Arizona native Renee Crawley met at a Mac Davis concert in Las Vegas.
Crawley recalled attending her first Davis concert in 1976 with her parents; she walked to the stage to give him a rose while he sang "Stop and Smell the Roses." She said, "I still have a picture of him taking the rose. He held my hand while he continued singing."
Years later, she and Mendelsohn were seated at the same table near the stage in Las Vegas. "We started conversing and the friendship has lasted ever since. We've even been in each other's weddings. We're soulmates. We talk all the time, but I have not seen her in person for 20 years."
Fans' fave Mac songs Geri Albea of Olive Branch, Miss., 867 miles from Lubbock: "Rock and Roll" and "If She Hadn't Broken My Heart, I Would Never Have Met You."
Mary Ayers of Fort Myers, Fla., 1,571 miles from Lubbock: "Poor Man's Gold," "The Way You Look Tonight," "Melting in the Moonlight" and "Texas in My Rearview Mirror."
Renee Crawley of Tucson, Ariz., 631 miles from Lubbock: "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me" and "Watching Scotty Grow" as a performer; "In the Ghetto" and "Memories" as a songwriter.
Linda Drews of Freeland, Mich., 1,442 miles from Lubbock: "Melting in the Moonlight."n Lisa Mendelsohn of St. Petersburg Beach, Fla., 1,475 miles from Lubbock: "Picking Up the Pieces of My Life," "One Hell of a Woman" and "Memories."
Concert facts
Event: "Hooked on Music, An Evening with Mac Davis," as part of 2005 Lubbock Arts Festival. Davis will perform and also discuss his career and growing up in Lubbock.
Opener: West Texas composer-pianist Doug Smith.
Also performing: The Jeff McCreight Band and The Long Girlz.
When: 8 p.m. today.
Where: Lubbock Memorial Civic Center Theatre, 1501 Mac Davis Lane.
Tickets: Reserved seats $33, $28 and $23 (includes $3 service charge).
Outlets: Tickets on sale at Select-A-Seat outlets at Caviel's Pharmacy, Dollar Western Wear, Memphis Place Mall, Ralph's Records & Tapes, Texas Tech Student Union's ticket booth and United Supermarkets.
Information: 770-2000 or (800) 735-1288.
For years, however, they would meet in Las Vegas whenever Davis headlined.
A "former Beatlemaniac," Crawley said that she has seen Davis perform "at least 20 times, 12 to 14 with Lisa."
During one five-day period in Las Vegas, Crawley attended "both of Mac's shows every day. The maitre'd was so sweet. He could tell I was a fan; he seated me at the front each time."
This is a hectic time for Crawley. She and her husband are preparing to move overseas to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where they will teach fourth grade together.
So when her friend suggested reliving old times and meeting at a Mac Davis concert, Crawley said, "I had to ask my husband, Michael. He said, 'You have no choice; you have to go.' "
Planning to leave her position as a flight attendant when she receives a registered nursing degree on May 9, Mendelsohn is the only one who said her children have labeled her a "groupie."
She recalled being in her early 20s when she saw Davis perform in 1976. "At the time," she said, "Mac picked one woman out of the audience and kissed her. He picked me. I thought he was adorable and was instantly enamored. Then I found out he picked a different woman at every show, which really deflated my imagination."
Geri Albea is seeing her first Davis concert.
She recalled, "The first time I noticed Mac was when he made an appearance on (television show) 'Hee Haw.' The curly hair was nice. But he's such a wonderful performer."
Michigan native Linda Drews already "was dating my future husband (Steve) when I became a Mac fan. After I saw him (Davis) for the first time, at a concert in Muskegon (Mich.), I was completely hooked."
She saved all of her ticket stubs, as well as the newspaper reviews from each Davis concert she attended.
Tonight marks the fifth Davis performance attended by Drews, who was a member of the Mac Davis Fan Club "during the last four years it existed" - and whose 25-year-old son's middle name is Mac.
Albea, who works at home transcribing medical X-rays, is just as thrilled about new friendships taking shape. "I am more excited than nervous," she said. "It seems like we know each other already, like it's almost a reunion."
Mendelsohn noted, "There had to be others who shared my interest in Mac's music. He is such a remarkable performer."
Ayers said, "I knew I could not be the only Mac Davis fan out there. What's funny is that 130 more messages have shown up on cmt.com; everybody says they really wish they could be going to Lubbock with us."
To comment on this story:
william.kerns@lubbockonline.com t 766-8712
shelly.gonzales@lubbockonline.com t 766-8747
I like Mac Davis and Lubbock is a fun town. Used to date a girl from Texas Tech.
Wow! I was wondering awhile back whatever happened to Mac.
Glad he's still out there performing.
My aunt and uncle used to listen to him. I sent them this link.
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