a m e r i c a n r o o t s m u s i c • t r a d i t i o n a l c o u n t r y • b l u e s • f o l k • a m e r i c a n a m u s i c • a m e r i c a n r o o t s
m u s i c • t r a d i t i o n a l c o u n t r y • b l u e s • f o l k • a m e r i c a n a m u s i c • a m e r i c a n r o o t s m u s i c • t r a d i t i o n
 Photograph by Ruth Bauer |
Americana music is just a relatively new name for music whose roots can be traced to some of the oldest music in America. A blend of folk, country and blues, Brine further defines his brand of Americana with songs that are superior studies of love, life and times past. |
Mark Brine has been writing,
performing and producing Americana music for well over three decades – long before it
became, what it is considered today to be, a viable music genre.
But Americana music is just a relatively new name for music whose roots can
be traced to some of the oldest music in America. A blend of folk, country and blues,
Brine further defines his brand of Americana with songs that are superior studies of love,
life and times past. Songs that tell stories. Songs that make you cry. Songs that move you.
His recordings take the listener on a journey from early rural American roots music through
it's spillover into the blues to a place where some people
are in fact shy! Where life is still precious and significant and death is still a heartbeat that
can shatter a soul. In 1995, Gavin first gave the genre credibility when it
established the Americana Music Chart. "Established as an 'Alternative-Country' base,
Americana® is the vast musical ground between Country and A3. Home to more than
singer/songwriters and country legends, Americana® is a growing format of quality roots
music." It includes new artists as well as older icons such as Jimmie Rodgers and Hank
Williams Sr. who have influenced alternative country and remains an alternative to the
current offerings of the music industry. As Tom Cox wrote in the Guardian Media, "It has yet to be processed by major label
vultures … it could be that its intrinsic elements are just too complex and timeless
to be diluted." Or in other words, the music industry has yet to figure out a way to
commercialize it. But authenticity cannot be cloned and while the record companies were
brainstorming trying to figure out what the public wanted, the underpromoted, profoundly
anti-pop, 'O Brother Where Art Thou' soundtrack sold well over 3 millions copies largely on
word of mouth and won album of the year at the 2002 Grammy Awards. Which proves that with
more access to information, more places to get music, people are making up their own minds
about what they like, as opposed to what's made readily available. Mark Brine has a long and distinguished career deeply rooted
in country music and American music history as well. Brine grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts
and began his career playing at the age of 13. In his 20s, he moved to Nashville and signed
with two record labels as both a staff writer and roster artist. In 1979, he won the Jimmie
Rodgers Memorial Festival talent contest, and in 1992 his Grammy nominated "New Blue
Yodel" tribute to Jimmie Rodgers led to a debut performance on the Grand Ole Opry with
Hank Snow. Someone once said, "I could listen to him sing all night long … he
does a good job that boy does." That someone was Roy Acuff on the Ernest Tubb Midnight
Jamboree. Mark Brine Music was born from the dedication and passion of an
artist to give something back to the rural communities where American music grew up. With the
release of "Fortunes • the Best of Mark Brine" in April of 2004, a portion of
the sales was earmarked to go directly to children and their families in Appalachia. The title
cut is an Ola Belle Reed song and it seemed a fitting tribute to the artist who was born in the
mountains of North Carolina and aspired to become one of the most influential forces on the
traditional country music scene. Ola Belle learned to pick the banjo at an early age and soon
began writing songs about her life in the mountains. During the Depression she moved to
Baltimore with her brother, Alex, where she performed on radio stations across the state. In
1954, together with her husband, Bud, she founded the popular music venue, 'The New River
Ranch' near Rising Sun, Maryland one of the premier country music parks of the '50s. They were
the first to bring the big-name bluegrass and country stars to the area. In 1986, Ola Belle
was the recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Award. " … you cannot separate your religion, your politics
from your music. It’s a part of life. " -- Ola Belle Reed; and that, just about sums it up. |
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PO Box 9799 • Baltimore MD 21284-9799 markbrine@markbrine.com |
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"Since migrating from Cambridge,
Mass to Nashville some three decades ago, Mark Brine has carved out a strong
reputation as an uncompromising traditionalist on the country music scene which
has made him one of the elder statesmen of Americana."
-- Shaun Dale, Cosmik Debris Magazine
"I could listen to him sing all night long – he does a good job that boy does." -- Roy Acuff, Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree "A fine young man who I think has a great future." -- Hank Snow, Grand Ole Opry "Brine could easily have been added to the cast of 'O Brother, Where Art Thou' without raising an eyebrow. He belongs to that group of artists whose individuality and quirkiness consign them to the periphery of what's commercially viable. But God bless him for not just being another cog in the musical wheel." -- James McSweeney, Flyin Shoes |
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"Brine has made a long career of flying under the
folk/country radar for a long time and has picked up a bunch of awards and recognition just the same. A real Americana act, Brine fuses elements of all the stuff we've been listening to for years that you really can't compare to anything else that’s sure to really draw you under it's spell." -- Chris Spector, Midwest Record Recap "I think Mark Brine must be Americana's
best kept secret. A singer/songwriter for over thirty years, friend of the late and legendary
pioneer fiddlin' Sid Harkreader, Brine writes wonderful story songs about ordinary people and
ordinary places. To tell these stories, Mark has a voice that is as comfortable as a favourite
coat." -- Pete Smith,
Country Music Round Up "His career has pursued the path of a truly independent artist - someone who follows his soul and does things his own way – his ability to write and produce has made his name synonymous with quality." -- Doug Floyd, AltCountryTab.com "I think what makes Mark Brine such a gifted songwriter/storyteller is the fact that he seems to be such an obvious fan of many genres of music. He's someone who is like a sponge when it comes to reintegrating influences into his own work." -- Gail Worley, Ink 19 ©2004 Mark Brine Music. All rights reserved. |