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"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 since he can remember.
Mark was born in the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana. While neither of his parents were particularly musical, Mark's musical education began during the 2-hour car ride between Fort Wayne and his father's hometown of Fostoria, Ohio. "My parents listened to everything; Abba one minute, the Oak Ridge Boys the next. . . I just soaked up what I could."
At the age of 5, the family moved back to Fostoria. His father was one of six children, so with all of his aunts and uncles in town, "there was always something going on." But the best part for Mark was watching his uncle sing and play guitar. It wasn't long before Mark began asking Santa for a guitar for Christmas.
While Mark's parents were concerned that his want of a guitar was merely a phase, they finally gave in and bought him his first guitar at the age of ten. A diligent student from the very beginning, he would sit and practice at length, both reading music and improvising guitar progressions and lines. He even composed some songs; the fact that he only new 2 chords was never an obstacle.
Then, 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 bought his first electric guitar, a Sears version of a Gibson Explorer he purchased for $40. Now living in Liverpool, New York (a suburb of Syracuse), Mark began learning to play lead guitar, eventually securing him a spot in several area bands.
But Mark knew that Syracuse wasn't the place for him. He began to study classical guitar, which eventually earned him a scholarship to DePaul University (Chicago), where he majored in Sound Recording Technology. Quickly drawn into the local college music scene, he began writing songs and created the acoustic rock/folk band, 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. "It no longer felt like me, anymore." So he 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, as well as, pursuing spot work in the bustling commercial advertising community.
In 2003, Mark began to collaborate with Nashville producer and keyboardist, Doug Sisemore. "Doug was definitely the missing piece to the puzzle. Not only is he a great writer, but he helped take all the songs for the new record and give them a little life of their own." With Doug, Mark recorded his first solo effort, "Not Your Typical Cowboy." Recorded at Tombstone Recording in Nashville, the new record features some of Nashville's best musicians and writers, as well as 6 songs written or co-written by Mark. "I know Uncle Rick would be proud; I can't help but smile at the result . . . I hope you will too."
Notable Appearances:
-National show appearances include: Gary Alan, Blake Shelton, Billy Currington, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Dierks Bentley, David Allen Coe, Mark Wills, Craig Morgan, Neil McCoy
-National airplay for the single "Big Backyard" in 65 markets
-Vocalist and/ or guitarist for several national TV and radio commercials, including McDonald's, Applebees, Pledge, Matchbox, and Allstate
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