Mark Doyle has had an interesting and varied career in the music business. Raised by musical parents, he studied extensively in classical and jazz piano, appearing on local TV and radio shows by age ten. Mark seemed destined for a career in jazz piano until The Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan, whereby he switched to guitar. Bitten by the British Blues bug in the late 60’s, his first band, Jukin' Bone, was signed to RCA when Mark was still in his late 'teens. They went on to make two obscure albums hailed by Creem Magazine as seminal classics of early '70's blues rock. The band also deepened their first-hand blues experience by touring with Freddie King, Leon Russell, Z.Z. Top, and The Allman Brothers.
After the breakup of Jukin’ Bone in 1973, Mark forged a career as a sought after recording/touring musician and producer, working with some of the biggest names in the business, amassing gold and platinum records and a discography of over 70 albums (please visit Mark’s website for the complete discography). He served as staff producer for Blue Wave, an independent label that championed blues and roots artists like The Kingsnakes, Built For Comfort, Stroke, Kim Lembo, Ronnie Dee and Joe Whiting’s and Mark’s own band, Backbone Slip. He also completed three moody and critically acclaimed guitar instrumental albums under his own name, and returned to his roots with an album called “The Truth” with his old partner in Jukin’ Bone and Backbone Slip, Joe Whiting.
Most recently Mark collaborated with British Blues legend Kim Simmonds on an acoustic blues album called “Out Of The Blue.”
Mark finally formed his own band, Mark Doyle and The Maniacs, in 2009 and released “Shake ‘Em On Down": A Salute to the British Blues Boom of the 60’s” in that year.
2010 saw the release of the group’s second album, “Comin’ Home”, with an emphasis on original material as well as a few well-chosen covers from the British Blues era. Both albums won the SAMMY Award for Best Blues CD in 2010 and 2011, respectively, as well as rave reviews in magazines like Vintage Guitar in the States and Blues Matters in England.
Released in 2013, the new album, “Pushin’”, broadens the blues-rock focus even more with six brand new originals by Doyle, a stunning retake of “Nightcrawler” from Jukin’ Bone (Mark’s first band), a turbo-charged version of Freddie King’s “Palace of the King” and a final tip of the hat to British Blues icon John Mayall with “Witchdoctor.”
July 2013 saw the release of Mark Doyle and The Maniacs – “Live and Burnin’”, the first official live CD from the band, recorded multi-track on June 22, 2013 in New Hartford.
[Photo by Sandra Jackson]
Frank DeFonda
Joel Kane
Terry Quill
Mark Doyle and The Maniacs
