Mark McKinney likes to keep the people guessing. Considered by Texas music fans to be a powerhouse of a writer and entertainer, Mark’s wide range of musical influences are clearly evident in his highly original songs- ranging from emotion and lyric rich Americana songs; to rowdy country anthems; to delicately crafted love songs. A west Texas native, Mark moved to Austin, Texas in the 90s and has since been quite comfortable living in the live music capitol of the world. In the summer of 2006, Mark released his first solo album, ‘Get It On’ and hit the road touring full time.
Mark snagged his first Number One spot on the Texas Music Chart and TRRR in early 2013 with ‘She Ain't Leavin',’ the debut single off of his album, ‘Standing My Ground.’ Later that year, the second single from the album, ‘Stolen Cash,’ made its way up to Number One on the charts. The song was inspired by much time spent in Port Aransas, Texas, a town Mark considers to be his second home. It was written while staying at Seashell Village Resort, his favorite of all Port Aransas hotels, and infamous getaway and writing retreat for many Texas songwriters. Seashell Village is also home to Third Coast Theater, a place many deem to be the best place for Port Aransas live music.
In 2014 the single 'Lonely Bones' also shot to the Number One spot on both Texas Charts. This song has been a crowd favorite at shows ever since.
In March of 2016, ‘Sunshine,’ Mark's first single off his fifth studio album ‘World In Between,’ joined his spree of Number One songs and reached the top of the Texas Music Charts. ‘World In Between’ released in January of 2017, has received much critical acclaim.
CountryChart.com calls ‘World In Between’ a "passionate, powerhouse project that moves the Texas country music genre forward with thought provoking lyrics and refreshing musicality that more tightly infuses Red Dirt with the best elements of rock."
CountryChart.com calls ‘World In Between’ a "passionate, powerhouse project that moves the Texas country music genre forward with thought provoking lyrics and refreshing musicality that more tightly infuses Red Dirt with the best elements of rock."
Touring constantly since 2006, Mark has delivered over 100 memorable performances every single year to his growing Texas and national fan base. To his credit, Mark has penned co-writes with Grammy-nominated songwriters John Mabe and James Slater, as well as renowned Texas songwriters Kevin Fowler, Larry Joe Taylor, Bleu Edmondson, Kyle Park and more.
Mark McKinney also gained national recognition by having several songs licensed and used by ESPN and NASCAR. He also had several music videos appear on GAC and CMT. Over the course of his career, Mark has shared the stage with music legends like Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Charlie Daniels, Ted Nugent, Robert Earl Keen, Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Billy Currington, Gary Allan, Ryan Bingham, Randy Rogers, Eli Young Band, Kevin Fowler, Pat Green and more.
In the summer of 2008 during a tour in France, McKinney won the French Country Music Award for “Live Performance of the Year” for his concert at the Equiblues Festival in St. Agreve France. He is in great company- previous winners of this award include Brad Paisley, Jamey Johnson, and Dierks Bentley.
Mark McKinney and his wife Cassie have written their first cookbook, "United Plates Of Texas." They are excited to share over 75 of their favorite recipes and stories from their life long journeys as dedicated foodies. You can even see a few of the recipes on Mark’s web site.
With five studio albums, Fifteen Top 10 hits on the Texas Country Charts, an ever-growing fan base, and favorite entertainer of the Texas music scene, Mark McKinney is a force to be reckoned with, and has no plans of slowing down any time soon.
Alan Mercer: Mark, I see you have a new song coming out soon called ‘Cinnamon Shore.’ Can you tell me about it?
Mark McKinney: I sure do! It’s a summertime, hanging out on the beach, island kind of song. It’s just something new I wrote as a kind of a chill, summertime song.
AM: Do you have a release date?
MM: We are trying to nail that down right now. It’s probably going to be within the next two weeks. I’m working with my radio promoter right now to figure out how soon we can get it out. Obviously, we want to get it out soon since Summer is upon us.
AM: Do you play more live shows during the summer?
MM: I usually do. It just depends. I’ve got a baby coming in the next two weeks. Any day now we’re going to have a baby. I’m trying to juggle not being away too much, but at the same time, I usually do more shows and festivals during the summer. We will keep my schedule pretty booked through the rest of the year to support the new single.
AM: Wow, you’ve got a lot on your plate suddenly.
MM: (Laughing) That’s for sure.
AM: Who did you listen to growing up?
MM: Man, probably my biggest musical influence is the Beatles and John Lennon. My parents were fans of, and I always loved, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. I also always loved Tony Joe White. I don’t know if you know who he is.
AM: I know his music. I saw him perform at the Viper Room in Los Angeles. He was amazing.
MM: Awesome! I got to see him twice. Part of the reason I started playing harmonica is because of Tony Joe White. My musical taste is kind of all over the place. I loved a lot of Rock music, but I also love Roots music and Americana. I love the Eagles and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
AM: Mark, you are fond of Port Aransas, Texas. I’ve never been there, and I was wondering what you found special about it?
MM: Well, one reason is my wife grew up there. That’s a big reason. She spent the second part of her younger life in Port Aransas. We go down there all the time and visit her dad. It’s just a cool town.
AM: I know it’s on the coast, but I don’t know where it is.
MM: It’s right there on Mustang Island right on the Texas coast like Galveston. It’s got some of the best beaches in Texas. The fishing out of there is incredible. It’s got a nice music scene and is filled with restaurants and bars. I like to say it’s a drinking town with a fishing problem. (Laughter)
AM: I also know that you ‘ve had songs licensed on ESPN and NASCAR. What songs?
MM: ESPN licensed my song ‘Middle America’ and ‘Stomping Ground.’ Those are songs off some of my earlier records. They got used on ABC and ESPN. For NASCAR they used them when going to commercials and introducing the races. They used them in several little spots.
AM: I love how you got a Country Music Award in France for the best Live Performance of the Year.
MM: I did get that in 2008, I believe. Somebody from the CMA Association of France was at a Country Music Festival I performed at. They evaluate live concerts, so that year they actually gave me the best live performance for a Country Music Artist in France from that festival performance. It was pretty cool.
AM: I would say so. Do you have any plans to go back to Europe and perform?
MM: I do. I’ve been hitting Ireland the last couple of years, and I’ll be back there this November for a week of shows.
AM: Ireland has a lot of support for Country music.
MM: Yeah, they really do.
AM: I bet playing there is a lot of fun.
MM: It is, I really like it. I’ve been there the last two years. This will be my third year in a row.
AM: Are you and your wife Cassie still writing songs together?
MM: Yeah, but we haven’t written anything together recently, but we definitely plan to. I just wrote this new song that we are getting out right away, but we are also working on a whole new record and we will write together for that. I’ve got a handful of ideas and she’s got a handful of ideas, so we’ll be getting together to knock out a new album pretty quick.
AM: I’ll look forward to that. Where can we get your newly published cookbook?
MM: It’s at markmckinney.com/cookbook. They’re available for order. We’ve got them stocked up and ready to go out. We’ve already sold a bunch and gotten some good feedback.
AM: I knew everyone would love it based on the recipes you have on your web site.
MM: A lot of people have told us how much they are enjoying the recipes. They tell me through social media when they’ve tried something and how they like it. It’s very rewarding.
AM: I love the song, ‘Revolution’ from your ‘World In Between’ album, where your son Jagger plays the piano. How is he doing?
MM: He’s doing great. Just this past Saturday we played Larry Joe Taylor’s Texas Music Festival near Stephenville and Jagger performed with me. He got to play in front of 20,000 people. It was a huge monster crowd. That was his first time to play in front of a crowd that big. It was my tenth year in a row to play that festival. I felt like it was bring your kid to work day! (Laughter)
AM: Were you nervous?
MM: No, not really. He loves the stage. He’s such a ham, I knew he would do good. He put on a great performance. We posted a picture on Facebook where you can see us both on stage and the big, giant crowd. It’s a cool shot.
To learn more about Mark McKinney visit his website https://www.markmckinney.com/