Mac Wiseman, who has plowed deep ruts over several decades on the bluegrass circuit, has been named a National Heritage Fellowship Award recipient by the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) in Washington, D.C.

The prestigious award, initiated by NEA in 1982, honors American folk artists for “their contributions to our national cultural mosaic,” according to NEA’s Web site.

Since its inception, more than 300 artists have received the Heritage Award.

“As a group, these folk and traditional artists reflect the diverse heritage and cultural traditions that transcend their beginnings to become part of our national character. Americans all, they bring age-old customs, crafts and ways of living to the flux of American life…,” according to NEA.

National Heritage Fellowships begin with nominations from ordinary citizens who put forward local folk and traditional artists that they feel are deserving of national recognition and who embody artistic excellence, authenticity, and significance within their tradition.

Each year, a select group of these artists come to Washington to receive their award in a public ceremony and perform in a concert during late September.

Wiseman was born in Crimora, Va., in the Shenandoah Valley. Both of his parents sang old ballads around the house and would play recordings of early country musicians for entertainment. Wiseman began to sing in public at the age of 12, but he was stricken with polio in his youth and that curtailed his performances for a time.

With the help of the National Foundation of Polio, he attended music school in Dayton, Va. Soon he was singing on a local radio station in Harrisonburg, Va., and in 1946 he joined the band of Molly O’Day, who taught him songs, singing style, and a love of the classic country repertoire.

Wiseman became an original member of Lester Flatt’s and Earl Scruggs’ Foggy Mountain Boys, recording his first Mercury session with them in 1948, and in 1949 he joined Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys at the Grand Ole Opry.

In 1951, he began his solo career, gaining fame as having the “voice with a heart,” and recording such classics as “Tis Sweet to Be Remembered,” “Love Letters in the Sand,” “Jimmie Brown, the Newsboy,” and “Shackles and Chains.”

Wiseman went to Hollywood in 1957 to head the country music section of Dot Records. Along with other music industry leaders, in 1958 he co-founded the Country Music Association for which he was the first secretary and treasurer.

During the 1960s he often opened for Johnny Cash at folk festivals such as Newport and Mariposa, as well as opening for Cash at venues such as the Hollywood Bowl.

Still known for his soulful high tenor singing, last Mac Wiseman and songwriter John Prine released a well-received duet album entitled “Standard Songs for Average People.”

Wiseman recorded three still unreleased numbers with Johnny Cash in what turned out to be Cash’s final sessions.

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Washington, DC – The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) today announced the 2008 recipients of the NEA National Heritage Fellowships, the country’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. Mac Wiseman was among the eleven fellowships, which include a one-time award of $20,000 each.

These awardees were chosen for their artistic excellence and contributions to our nation’s cultural heritage. They represent a cross-section of ethnic cultures and traditions and art forms ranging from saddlemaking and dance to bluegrass music and drum making.

National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia said, “It is important to recognize the diverse traditional arts that enrich America’s cultural landscape and to award those whose dedication and artistry are so integral to the continuation of these art forms.”

These honorees join the ranks of previous Heritage Fellows, including bluesman B.B. King, Cajun fiddler and composer Michael Doucet, cowboy poet Wally McRae, gospel singer Shirley Caesar, and bluegrass musician Bill Monroe. Since 1982, the Endowment has awarded 338 NEA National Heritage Fellowships.

Fellowship recipients are nominated by the public, often by members of their own communities, and then judged by a panel of experts in folk and traditional arts on the basis of their continuing artistic accomplishments and contributions as practitioners and teachers. This year a nine-member panel reviewed 235 nominations for the 11 fellowships. The ratio of winners to nominees indicates the extraordinary level of competition for this national honor.

The 2008 awardees will come to Washington, D.C. in September for a series of events including a banquet at the Library of Congress and an awards presentation on Capitol Hill as well as a concert scheduled for Friday, September 19, at the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland.

The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest annual national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.

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