Mac Strength

Music is more than entertainment to me. It's part of who I am, where I come from, and the legacy that was passed down to me.

I am the son of Harvey “Guitar Mac” MacKnally, a blues musician whose contribution to American music earned him one of Sacramento's distinguished honors: the Key to the City.

In September 1990, during Sacramento's Blues Week, Mayor Anne Rudin recognized my father as part of a musical tradition that began generations ago in the African American experience. The blues was born out of struggle, survival, determination, and the ability to turn life's hardships into something beautiful.

That is the musical heritage I come from.

When my father passed away, he left me something that money cannot buy: a connection to a remarkable musical history. Among the things he left behind were his Dobro guitar and the Key to the City of Sacramento.

To some people, they might be just a guitar and a ceremonial key. But to me, they represent something much greater. They are reminders of my father's life, his music, his accomplishments, and the legacy that continues through me.

I also have a recording of the mayor presenting my father with the Key to the City. It is a piece of history that I can hear with my own ears, a reminder that his contribution to the blues was recognized and celebrated.

My father left me more than possessions. He left me a musical inheritance.

My own musical journey is about carrying that inheritance forward while finding my own voice.

I believe music should come from the soul. It should express the things we experience in life: the good times, the hard times, the disappointments, the victories, the love, and the struggle to keep moving forward.

That's what the blues has always meant to me.

On this website, I'm sharing my own collection of 16 songs, along with photographs, memories, and pieces of the musical heritage that helped shape my life.

I'm not here to tell you that I'm the biggest star in the world or that I've made the most money. I'm here because I have a story, I have music to share, and I come from a family whose place in blues history means something to me.

The blues is not just about fame or fortune. It's about feeling. It's about truth. It's about taking whatever life hands you and finding a way to make music out of it.

My father's music was recognized by a city. His legacy lives on in the history of the blues.

And now, through my own music, I have something to say, too.

The music continues. The heritage lives on. And my story is still being written.

Welcome to my world. Welcome to my music.