biography
"I just wanted to be like my Uncle Rick," Mark says of the reason he wanted to play music. "I don't even think I knew what a guitar was, but when I saw him play it, I thought, whatever that thing is, that's what I want." Fascinated by music at an early age, Mark has known that he wanted to be a musician as far back as he can remember.
Mark was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. While neither of his parents were particularly musical, Mark's musical education began during the the 2-hour car ride between Fort Wayne and his father's hometown of Fostoria, OH. "My parents listened to everything; Abba one minute, the Oak Ridge Boys the next...I just soaked up whatever I could".
Though his parents thought that his want of a guitar was merely a phase, Mark's parents bought him his first guitar at the age of 10. A diligent student from the very beginning, he would sit and practice at length, both reading and improvising music. He even composed some songs; the fact that he only knew 2 chords was never an obstacle.
In 1985, Mark's Uncle Rick passed away from cancer devastating the entire family. The family created cassettes of Rick's music - a collection of about 10. To help cope with his uncle's death, Mark sat down and began learning his songs by ear. "Ironically, he was probably my best teacher because I was forced to learn to play songs without any sheet music or chord charts."
A few years later, Mark's family moved to Liverpool, NY, a suburb of Syracuse. He quickly began getting involved with the local music scene and became a sought after guitarist for various rock acts. However, it was soon time to leave and Mark headed off to Chicago to study Sound Recording Technology at DePaul University.
Quickly drawn into the local college music scene, he began writing songs and created the acoustic rock act, Azure Bloom. Azure Bloom had immediate success on the small inner-city college campus, eventually recording a full-length record and receiving airplay on several radio stations throughout the country. But soon after the release, Mark felt uneasy about the direction of the music and decided to pursue a solo project.
With newfound freedom, Mark began to re-explore his passion for country music. "I just love the feeling and the stories in country music. There is a value system that you don't see in other styles of music that I appreciate and identify with." He began to co-write and perform with several Chicago area songwriters. In 2003, his collaboration with Dayna Malow, a fellow singer/ songwriter, led Mark to producer Doug Sisemore, keyboardist and bandleader for Reba McEntire. With Doug, Mark recorded his first solo effort, "Not Your Typical Cowboy" at Tombstone Recording in Nashville, TN. The record features many of Nashvilles top musicians and writers, as well as 6 songs written or co-written by Mark.
With exposure to Nashville's legendary music scene, Mark relocated to Nashville in 2005. Since then, he has worked with many amazing songwriters and musicians and become an attraction on the live music scene. He is currently working on new songs with producers Doug Sisemore and Dale Oliver. The new songs promise to be "a little more 'me'". The songs should be posted soon, so be on the lookout! Mark is also a sought after acoustic/ electric guitar player and background singer for various acts in Nashville. When he's not in the studio, you will probably find him onstage supporting his project or playing with some of Nashville's favorite artists.