Shake your 'Booty' with Johnny Mac

The music history of Charleston is full of local acts with creative monikers.

Hootie & the Blowfish, The Fire Apes and Jump, Little Children are a few examples. When local guitarist and songwriter The Rev. Dr. Johnny Mac was naming his current band, The Booty Ranch, the inspiration came by an awkward accident.

"I was on the Internet, looking for dinosaur screensavers, and of course when you do a search for anything online you inevitably get a list of less than savory sites," said Mac, talking outside a local barbecue joint in West Ashley. "One of the sites that came up during my search was called 'Booty Farm.' I was amused by the name, and thought it would sound funnier as 'Booty Ranch.' "

Voila, a band name was born.

Mac is no stranger to the local music scene. Mac moved to the Lowcountry in 1972 and had his first band in place by the next year. He has been playing music since the tender age of 3, when he began piano lessons. Later, while in middle school in Hawaii, Mac heard a song by Albert King and immediately knew what he wanted to do with his life. He switched to guitar and immersed himself in the sounds of just about any kind of music he could hear.

Prior to forming The Booty Ranch, Mac was a founding member of The Jumper Cables, a band that should be well-remembered by anyone who frequented the local bars and clubs in the late '80s and early '90s. While many consider Johnny Mac and The Booty Ranch to be a blues band, Mac is quick to point out that he plays not just blues, but also rock, soul and even his own original compositions.

On a recent night at West Ashley's Wolf Track Inn, Mac and his band, which includes drummer Stevie Kent and bassist Chris Watts, played covers by everyone from The Rolling Stones to Prince, and had the floor in front of the band jammed with patrons shaking their groove things. Mac and his band normally play a set filled mostly with covers, but this Saturday at Jimbo's Rock Lounge in West Ashley Mac is looking forward to focusing on his original songs.

While there inevitably will be a few smoking rock and blues covers thrown into the mix, the set at Jimbo's also will allow Mac to showcase his original compositions. Mac met Jimbo Webb, owner of Jimbo's Rock Lounge, only a few months ago despite both men being longtime fixtures in the local music community.

"I saw what Jimbo was trying to do with his place, and really wanted to perform there," said Mac. "He definitely has a vision about what he wants the Rock Lounge to be, and it fits in perfectly with the music we play." Mac's philosophy on performing live is simple.

"I'm one of the luckiest people in the world, because I have the best rhythm section in the world," said Mac, referring to Kent and Watts.

"I don't have to play what I don't like, and I love playing live. I want folks to come out and just have a good time."

Saturday's show also features two other acts; Ricky & the Rattlers and "Stone Cold" Sarah Cole, and Mac recommends getting there early to catch both. Free tickets for Saturday night's show are available at 52.5 Records on King St. downtown as well as at Monster Music in West Ashley. Cover without the ticket is $5.