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Mark Kerr
P r e s e n t a t i o n
Mark Kerr was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame on March
13th 2007. As the Ambassador to the Blues for the state of Louisiana.
It's difficult enough to establish yourself as an independent
artist / musician, but trying to do so so close to a city billed as the "music
capital of the world" is doubly hard. Daily you are confronted by competition
also vying for recognition, that can bury you,or if they aren't inclined to
be that neat, can leave you a smoldering mound of ash on the road to fame. But
what to do? Gazing out across that vast expanse that separates you from attaining
your goals of greatness, you might find the distance with all of its pitfalls
daunting, despite your ambitions.
Tennessee native (now relocated), Mark Kerr never found success
beyond his grasp. From the age of twelve his course was clear, and from his
earliest days in music he has built bridges that have connected him, not to
his peers alone, but to the world at large.
Mark picked up the guitar at the age of twelve and before
long, he was receiving recognition for his musical abilities. Whereas many kids
at twelve years of age may be content to watch television or to hang out with
others of their own age, Mark had one singularly focused ambition. He wanted
to become a musician. And so devoted was he to this pursuit, he would often
fall to sleep at night with his guitar "strapped on".
By the time he graduated from high school, he would be rewarded
for his ambition. As he tells it, "all of the high school first chair seniors
in my state that played an instrument in their jazz band were given a chance
to perform before a panel of judges in their instrument class. Given a chance
to win these scholarships, I was the only one from my jazz band to win."
Rather than pursuing this scholarship, he became involved in
a rock and roll band and started seeing the world. "I really had no interest
to keep going to school, I had had enough of that for a while. I was so hungry
inside to graduate and get into a road band and start seeing the world and making
a living doing it that school was the last thing on my mind. I was ready to
start chasing the dream." Mark would eventually play with Percy Sledge
and Curtis Mayfield's "Impressions". After thirteen years of touring,
Mark attended Northwestern State University where he studied music theory while
working very diligently on his skills in jazz, rock and blues. Mark was nominated
for Musician of the Year by the Academy of Texas Music in 2006, for his guitar
work on "One Drink Away From The Blues".
Today Mark can say reflecting back, "I no longer drink.
I started to see if I was going to be what I wanted to be in this business that
there was no longer room for that. A person can go a lot farther with a clean,
clear, non-polluted brain than with one". Yep, the road to success is a
long and arduous one, but to steer it effectively, you have to have a clear
head. That one drink could be "One Drink Away From The Blues".
Mark Kerr's bio courtesy of, Cross Harp Chronicles.
Discography
Debut CD, "One Drink Away From The Blues" is being played on 300+
radio stations, land based and internet.
1. "Wishin' Well" / 2. "One Drink Away From The Blues" /
3. "Low Down Dirty Shame"
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