Lonnie Mack (born Lonnie McIntosh, 18 July 1941, Dearborn County, Indiana) is an American rock and blues guitarist/vocalist.

In the early 1960s, he recorded several full-length electric guitar instrumentals which combined blues stylism with fast-picking techniques and a rock 'n' roll beat. The best-known of these are "Memphis", "Wham!", "Chicken Pickin'" and "Suzie-Q". These instrumentals established the standard of virtuosity for a generation of rock guitarists^[1][2] and formed the leading edge of the "blues-rock" guitar genre.^[3] Reportedly, the tremolo arm commonly found on electric guitars became known as the "whammy bar", following Mack's singularly aggressive use of the device in 1963's "Wham!".^[4]

In 1979, music historian Richard T. Pinnell, Ph. D., called 1963's "Memphis" a "milestone of early rock guitar".^[5] In 1980, the editors of Guitar World magazine ranked "Memphis" No. 1 among rock's top five "landmark" guitar recordings.^[6]

Mack is also known for the emotional intensity of his early "blue-eyed soul" ballads. Crediting both Mack's R&B vocals and his guitar solos, music critic Jimmy Guterman ranked Mack's first album, 1963's The Wham of that Memphis Man!, No. 16 in his book The 100 Best Rock 'n' Roll Records of All Time.^[7]

Mack released several singles in his early years, as well as thirteen original albums spanning a variety of genres between 1963 and 1990. He was most active (and enjoyed his greatest popular and critical recognition) as a blues-rock performer during the 1960s and the latter half of the 1980s. However, an aversion to fame and its trappings led him to switch musical genres, scale back his career and withdraw from the public eye for lengthy periods.^[8] Despite a relatively modest total career output as a recording artist, he is widely regarded today as "one of the great rock guitarists of all-time",^[9] as well as an innovative and pivotal figure in expanding the role of the lead guitar in rock.^[10][11]

Beyond his career as a solo artist, Mack recorded with The Doors, Stevie Ray Vaughan, James Brown, Freddie King, Joe Simon, Ronnie Hawkins, Albert Collins, Roy Buchanan, Dobie Gray and the sons of blues legend Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, among others.