Mark Elliott (musician)
Encyclopedia
Mark Elliott is a bluegrass
and folk
guitar
ist whose career started in Washington, D.C.
and later took him to Nashville
. As a songwriter Elliott has penned hits which reached the Billboard Top Forty charts
, notably "Every Man for Himself" for Neal McCoy
.
. A debut album (Common Ground, 1988) and a last minute opening act for Tom Paxton
lit the fire of the young writer, leading him to Nashville and a publishing deal with Cherry Lane Music
.
Elliott went on to staff writing positions with major publishing companies including, Bluewater Music Group, Maypop Music Group (owned by the super-group Alabama
) as well as Sony Music Publishing. Elliott's songs have been recorded by independent and major artists, receiving airplay on radio and TV in the United States and abroad. His songs have hit the Billboard Top Forty charts, notably the hit single by Neal McCoy
, Every Man for Himself which Billboard
magazine called "a song with rare lyrical and musical edge and the best cut on the album."
Buoyed by wins in singer-songwriter contests at major festivals across the country Elliott began to build a reputation for standout live performances. However, it was winning the Kerrville New Folk Award
in 1993 that really put him on the map and on the road. As one-half of the duo Culley & Elliott, he toured extensively in support of their acclaimed CD, Flight of Dreams (1993).
(Stars in Their Eyes). Described as an easy blend of folk and country with pop and jazz,
the album was an Americana Chart's top 70 CD and its songs were played on commercial and public radio programs across the United States and abroad. The song She Rode Horses reached #2 on the independent country chart, Inside Country. Sing Out!
Magazine called it a "superb album" and Music Row Magazine said "almost too good" and "I'll bet he's a killer to hear live."
, B.B. King and Ringo Starr
). Elliott's US touring through 2005 continued to include high profile clubs and festivals, including an official showcase spot at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
.
and Americana divas The McCrary Sisters, make for a strong and genuine delivery of captivating stories.
In the fall of 2008 Elliott released his the CD Good Life including a song by the late Chicago troubadour Tom Dundee
as well as Wake-Up, written for Barack Obama
's 2008 US presidential campaign
and used in rallies and fundraisers in the last months of that campaign.
Mark Elliott is endorsed by Elixir Strings
and Taylor Guitars
. He owns and manages the Cub Creek recording studio.
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist whose career started in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and later took him to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. As a songwriter Elliott has penned hits which reached the Billboard Top Forty charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
, notably "Every Man for Himself" for Neal McCoy
Neal McCoy
Hubert Neal McGaughey, Jr. is an American country music singer of mixed Irish and Filipino descent. Known professionally as Neal McCoy, he has released ten studio albums on various labels, and has released 34 singles to country radio...
.
Early Career and Work as a Songwriter
As a teenager, Elliott immersed himself in the vibrant bluegrass and folk music scene of Washington, D.C.. One of his earliest guitar teachers and mentors was Phil Rosenthal, from the famed bluegrass band, The Seldom SceneThe Seldom Scene
The Seldom Scene is an American bluegrass band formed in 1971 in Bethesda, Maryland.-Early history:The band formed out of the weekly jam sessions in the basement of banjo player Ben Eldridge. These sessions included John Starling on guitar and lead vocals, Mike Auldridge on Dobro and baritone...
. A debut album (Common Ground, 1988) and a last minute opening act for Tom Paxton
Tom Paxton
Thomas Richard Paxton is an American folk singer and singer-songwriter who has been writing, performing and recording music for over forty years...
lit the fire of the young writer, leading him to Nashville and a publishing deal with Cherry Lane Music
Cherry Lane Music
Cherry Lane Music was founded in 1960 by Milton Okun in the apartment above the Cherry Lane Theater in Greenwich Village of New York City. Cherry Lane Music creates a wide range of high quality sheet music, DVDs and educational tools for practicing musicians....
.
Elliott went on to staff writing positions with major publishing companies including, Bluewater Music Group, Maypop Music Group (owned by the super-group Alabama
Alabama (band)
Alabama is a country music and southern rock band from Fort Payne, Alabama, United States. The band was founded in 1969 by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry , soon joined by Jeff Cook...
) as well as Sony Music Publishing. Elliott's songs have been recorded by independent and major artists, receiving airplay on radio and TV in the United States and abroad. His songs have hit the Billboard Top Forty charts, notably the hit single by Neal McCoy
Neal McCoy
Hubert Neal McGaughey, Jr. is an American country music singer of mixed Irish and Filipino descent. Known professionally as Neal McCoy, he has released ten studio albums on various labels, and has released 34 singles to country radio...
, Every Man for Himself which Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine called "a song with rare lyrical and musical edge and the best cut on the album."
Buoyed by wins in singer-songwriter contests at major festivals across the country Elliott began to build a reputation for standout live performances. However, it was winning the Kerrville New Folk Award
Kerrville Folk Festival
The Kerrville Folk Festival is a music festival held for 18 consecutive days in the late spring/early summer at Quiet Valley Ranch near Kerrville, Texas. The event has run on a yearly basis since 1972. In November 2008, the Kerrville Folk Festival and Kerrville Wine & Music Festival were acquired...
in 1993 that really put him on the map and on the road. As one-half of the duo Culley & Elliott, he toured extensively in support of their acclaimed CD, Flight of Dreams (1993).
My Great Escape
The year 2000 brought Elliott back to a solo career and a successful new CD, My Great Escape, featuring a duet with Tom PaxtonTom Paxton
Thomas Richard Paxton is an American folk singer and singer-songwriter who has been writing, performing and recording music for over forty years...
(Stars in Their Eyes). Described as an easy blend of folk and country with pop and jazz,
the album was an Americana Chart's top 70 CD and its songs were played on commercial and public radio programs across the United States and abroad. The song She Rode Horses reached #2 on the independent country chart, Inside Country. Sing Out!
Sing Out!
Sing Out! is a quarterly journal of folk music and folk songs that has been published since May 1950.-Background:Sing Out! is the primary publication of the tax exempt, not-for-profit, educational corporation of the same name...
Magazine called it a "superb album" and Music Row Magazine said "almost too good" and "I'll bet he's a killer to hear live."
American Road
In 2004, the album American Road set out to capture characters, towns and stories from Elliott's well-traveled past. American Road attracted vocal collaborations from luminaries Don Henry (Grammy Award-winning songwriter) and Jonell Mosser (renowned vocalist who has sung with the likes of Bonnie RaittBonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
, B.B. King and Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
). Elliott's US touring through 2005 continued to include high profile clubs and festivals, including an official showcase spot at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival and dance festival formerly held at the Long Hill Farm in Hillsdale, New York, USA. In 2006, the event moved to nearby Dodds Farm, just off Rt. 22, five miles north of the Rt. 22/Rt. 23 intersection in Hillsdale, on...
.
Recent Work
In 2006 Elliott's road led back to his Folk and Bluegrass beginnings. The new CD, Pickin' Blackberries shares 12 new songs with some of the most respected names in acoustic music. Elliott's guitar and voice, coupled with the likes of IBMA winner Jim Hurst, National finger-picking champion Pete HuttlingerPete Huttlinger
Pete Huttlinger is an American guitarist. He is a graduate of Berklee College of Music. He is a respected Nashville studio artist. In 2000, he won the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. He has performed around the world with such artists as...
and Americana divas The McCrary Sisters, make for a strong and genuine delivery of captivating stories.
In the fall of 2008 Elliott released his the CD Good Life including a song by the late Chicago troubadour Tom Dundee
Tom Dundee
Tom Dundee was a singer/songwriter born in Chicago, Illinois, United States.He began his career in Corrales, New Mexico in 1969. A year later he became a principal member of the Chicago folk scene that spawned such performers as John Prine, Steve Goodman, Mick Scott, and Bonnie Koloc...
as well as Wake-Up, written for Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's 2008 US presidential campaign
Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008
Barack Obama, then junior United States Senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in Springfield, Illinois, on February 10, 2007. On August 27, 2008, he was declared nominee of the Democratic Party for the 2008 presidential election...
and used in rallies and fundraisers in the last months of that campaign.
Mark Elliott is endorsed by Elixir Strings
Elixir Strings
Elixir Strings, manufactured by W. L. Gore & Associates, are strings for electric, acoustic, and bass guitars as well as banjo and mandolin. Elixir strings are noted for their patented coating that extends the strings' life and tone by blocking damage from elements like skin oil; however, they are...
and Taylor Guitars
Taylor Guitars
Taylor Guitars is an El Cajon, California‐based luthier, specializing in acoustic guitars, as well as semi-hollow and solidbody electric guitars. It was established in 1974 by Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug.- History :...
. He owns and manages the Cub Creek recording studio.