MARK JOHNSON "solo artist/singer/songwriter/musician"
VICTORIA WINTERS "Keyboards, Backing Vocals"
Influences
John Lennon, Jackson Browne, Bob Seger, Neil Young, The Beatles, Chicago, Grand Funk Railroad, Tom Petty, etc. Basically, most Retro Rock bands between the late 1960's through the 1990's have influenced my style of music.
Sounds Like
Many retro easy rock bands as well as sounding like myself. This is always a hard question to answer, I have been influenced by easy rock bands and folk rock bands, so I just basicly have that same type of sound, but not the exact same sound, I have my own easy Rock and folk rock sound.
I've been playing the guitar and writing songs since I was a teenager back in the early and mid 1970s, I grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada and watched many rock bands in Las Vegas at prices that were affordable, no more then $10 bucks per ticket to see most any major band. Smoking was allowed, we all smoked grass and pasted it around...I knew I wanted to be a professional touring musician by time I went into the US Army Airborne Rangers in 1975. The reason I went into the military was due to my Father signed me up which ruined my Disney Art School Training. I was being hired by Disney to be an animation artist, and I would have been paid $2000 a month for the classes I would have been taking. But my Father "a 100 percent military man" said "NO SON OF MINE IS GOING TO HAVE A FAG JOB LIKE BEING AN ARTIST, MILITARY IS IN OUR FAMILY BLOOD AND BY GOD, YOU ARE GOING TO LEARN TO BE A MAN INSTEAD OF HAVING A FAGGOT JOB LIKE BEING AN ARTIST"
Being a Beatles fan myself, “like many others” I too watched their first ever live national televised USA performance in 1964. I Was only five years old and I knew once I watched the Beatles on TV that Sunday evening, I wanted to be in a rock band eventually.
Later their song I WANT YOU (She’s So Heavy) as simple as it was, gave me chills throughout my body in the late 60s. If not for the Beatles recording their famous untamed BEATLES WHITE ALBUM, I’m sure I would have never gone through with forming rock bands in high school and for touring 30 more years after my stint in the US ARMY from 1976 through to early 1980.
When I recorded rhythm guitar tracks with Lennon on his song CLEAN UP TIME in August of 1980 “along with members of Cheap Trick” I felt like I was holding part of the world in my bare hands. “You’d have to be a musician and a Lennon fan to understand.”
Lennon had turned me onto some fellow musician friends of his “Country Joe and The Fish” in 1980. This was my true beginning of my 30 years of performing live as an opening artist / band with as many well know musicians as I did, which led me to later create several solo cassette tapes of my own material and having 6 music videos of myself filmed by a professional ex MTV music video director/camerman, and me recording demo cassettes for major record labels while continuing to briefly tour with artists such as Jackson Browne, Bob Seger, The Drifters, The Jesse Dreamer Band, The Platters, Ethan Fox, Tom Petty, Mike Belis, Lee Walter Williams, the band Chicago Transit Authority “CHICAGO,” Luther, David Palma, Neil Diamond, Heart, Country Joe and The Fish, Freddy Fender, Lonnie Johnson, Paul Presley, Stevie Nicks and more….
Still having my band opening for major record label signed artists, couldn’t get me signed with my own recording contract. “But I did sell close to 30,000 copies of my own solo artist Cassette tapes and over ten thousand copies of four of the 6 music videos ’sold on consignment through TOWER RECORDS,” and through several California college radio stations.
I still manage to squeeze in a few solo gigs every once in a while, and as an opening band / solo artist. I now manage my fiances music career, if not for her having the seemingly serious undiagnosed medical problems pop up recently while her and I lived in Las Vegas, She’d right now be performing in Las Vegas, Nevada at The Mirage Hotel in the Beatles REVOLUTION lounge.
Without John Lennon hooking me up with Country Joe and The Fish in 1980, I probably wouldn’t have ever toured with any of the known artists I mentioned above. I didn’t become rich, or even become all that well known, the experiences I’ve had over the past 30 odd years have been priceless.
Hopefully this coming spring of 2010, I’ll have my fiance back in Las Vegas performing on stage at The Mirage Hotel. Thanks to an entertainment promoter working for the Mirage Hotel “Johnny Postel,” I’d still be breaking my ass trying to get an opportunity to represent and organize live performances of my singer/songwriter fiance to audition for promoters in Vegas, “let alone get her paying gigs at The Mirage Hotel lounges.” Once my fiance’s “Victoria Winters” doctors find out what illness she is dealing with and have it treated, Johnny Postel said he’d get her those paying gigs at The Mirage Hotel.
Go to my myspace site, listen my posted songs and possibly purchase three of my most recent CD’s I have for sale on http://www.MySpace.com/rhythmsreason through cdbaby.com
Personally I think it’s amazing that 38 years after their breakup, the Beatles are STILL one of the highest selling bands of all time.
My thanks to John Lennon for his interest in me and for his help for kick starting my music career back in 1980.
R.I.P. John Lennon and thanks for your friendship all those years ago.
Final thought.. always remember to cherish your loved ones and friends, for they may not be here tomorrow!!
How many of you on MySpace have problems with the slide picture show box below? Many times my pictures show up and many times the pictures don't show up, obviously there is a problem with MySpace. Enjoy the pictures if you're able to view them.
Hi! I hope you are doing well. I would like to invite you to stop by and listen to my two New Singles off my upcoming 2010 album, that will be released on iTunes in a few weeks!! For updates, please join my Email list. And, I’d really appreciate it if you’d add my new FACEBOOK music page: www.facebook.com/elizabethsouthmusic and new TWITTER: www.twitter.com/elizabeth_south Thank you! You are awesome! Also, please leave a comment letting me know your encouraging thoughts on the songs or to just tell me how you’re doing!
Hey Darlin! Hope you and Victoria are doing good! I have been SOoooo Busy~ However you both are always in my thoughts.... Miss you So So much and hope to hear from you soon! Big Hugs to ya both ' let me know how things are going? Any Kewl Gigs? Muah Gena
Hi.....Welcome, and thanks for dropping by our site for a visit. Thank you too for the add, and for the friendship.
If you want to find out a little more about Slick Nickel go to www.slicknickelyumaaz.com and when you get a chance, check out our new CD, "MAGIC" at www.cdbaby.com/cd/slicknickel and put a little "MAGIC" in your life today.
Here's hoping you have a great week, and y'all come back and visit again soon.
Hey How have you been? Thanks for the add!!!Hope all is well! I started my Youtube Channell!! Check it out!! Add me as a friend and subscribe to me! Lets Keep in touch! God Bless Andy www.youtube.com/user/andymartinguitar