Jackson Free Press

During her middle-school years, Nellie McInnis, known to fans of her music as Nellie Mack, followed her grandmother's instruction and became a cheerleader and a Girl Scout. Born and raised in Jackson, she grew up in a household that fostered interest in athletics, such as tennis, but her interests started heading in a different direction: She wanted to play bass guitar.

Her brother, Walter Gardner, tried to turn her interest toward playing the keys. While he was out of the house, Mack would play his bass with her right hand, despite being left-handed. Gardner caught her and protested.

"He kept saying 'No, no, girls don't play guitar. Girls play the piano. They play the organ. They sing. Girls just don't play guitar,'" she says.

After watching her play, though, Gardner was impressed. He pushed her to learn all she could about the bass, helping her to learn blues, jazz, funk and gospel hits. She started performing for paying gigs with bands around town with groups like Together People and Sam Myers in the early '70s. She also dropped out of Lanier High School at that time, not long after the birth of her son.

As a female bassist, Mack gained extra attention while on a tour with a band called Sonic Funk, Inc., but she also realized that her bass education wasn't complete. A music industry executive approached her with sheet music, hoping to connect her with another artist. He didn't realize she couldn't read music

"I was just looking at it confused, thinking, 'What are those upside-down golf clubs?'" she says.

Mack decided that she needed to learn more. In 1978, she enrolled in Jackson State University's first high-school equivalency class. After getting her GED, she continued at JSU, earning a bachelor's degree in 1984 and her master's degree in 1987, both in classical music. The university didn't have an electric bass program at the time, so Mack decided to play the cello. She became the principal cellist for the university orchestra not long after.

Since then, Mack has performed with well-known acts such as Dizzy Gillespie, Ellis Marsalis, The Bar-Kays, Bobby Bland and Dorothy Moore. Mack has also started a number of projects, including the Tri-Tones, which featured Ezra Brown, and Past, Present and Future, an all-female jazz group with Cassandra Wilson and Rhonda Richmond.

While playing on stages as far away as Belgium and Norway may sound like a musician's dream, Mack is grounded in Mississippi. When her mother's health declined more than a decade ago, Mack decided to decrease her road gigs to care for her.

"As long as I can keep her comfortable and happy, that's my blessing. Being blessed motivates me to keep doing what I do," Mack says.

Now, Mack's musical focus is playing bass at Shady Grove Missionary Baptist Church and performing as the Nellie Mack Project, which often adds drummer Rick Lewis and guitarist Lonnie George. She also created "Catch Them While They're Young," workshops for which she visits local schools to encourage students to follow their interests in music.

"It helps them, not only aesthetically but academically," she says of learning music and playing an instrument. "It builds endurance and teaches them discipline."

Mack attributes much of her success to having a higher power in her life. Her advice to young people pursuing anything they're passionate about is to believe in something greater than you are and be willing to help others.

"Do right by people," Mack says, "and it will all come right back to you."

The Nellie Mack Project performs from 2:30 p.m. until 5 p.m. Sunday, April 19, for the Ridgeland Fine Arts Festival at Renaissance at Colony Park (1000 Highland Colony Pkwy., Ridgeland). For more information, visit ridgelandartsfest.com.