Album Notes

Mark Holder plays the blues.

Not the fashion statement blues; not the neo-swing pompadour sharkskin suit blues; this is the real thing.

This music is primitive and raw. It flashes you a dirty smile and a knowing wink . Both the blemishes and implications are very much intended .

Mark Holder is the son of a hellfire and brimstone Southern Baptist preacher, the grandson of a sharecropper who played harmonica at barndances all over the northern end of Hamilton County , Tennessee.

Mark started singing and blowing harp in bands around Kingsport, Tennessee in 1991. He eventually landed in a band called Highwater that toured the college club circuit around Knoxville and Middle Tennessee for about five years. He shared stages with Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Gov't Mule, Derek Trucks, and Southern Culture on the Skids, to name a few.

Near the demise of the band , Mark had one of the defining experiences of his life. A friend exposed him to the music of Eddie "Son" House Jr. by way of a video tape. Son's music had echoes of the gospel and traditional music Mark heard growing up as his family moved from pulpit to pulpit in little towns all over the South. Shortly after his initial exposure, he began to explore blues music more deeply.

Mark plays a mixture of Mississippi Delta style blues, a smattering of traditional tunes, his own versions of songs by blues greats such as Muddy Waters and Lightnin' Hopkins, and his own original songs that are very much in the same vein. He accompanies his voice with guitar, often playing with a slide, and harmonica.

Since choosing to concentrate on playing solo, Mark has recorded a self produced CD entitled My Black Name, had a song used in an independent feature film, and shared stages with artists as diverse as country flatpicking legend Doyle Dykes, the Chicago Rhythm and Blues Kings , and gospel superstar Carmen .

The CD My Black Name features eleven song , five of which are original . All performances on the CD are by Mark and no overdubs or digital editing were used. If you sat in Mark's kitchen and listened to him play, this is what you would hear.