Mark King (musician)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mark King | ||
|---|---|---|
 Mark King in Woolwich '85
|
||
| Background information | ||
| Born | 20 October 1958 | |
| Origin | Cowes, Isle of Wight, England | |
| Genre(s) | Pop | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, bassist | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, bass guitar | |
| Years active | 1979 – Present | |
| Label(s) | Polydor RCA |
|
| Associated acts |
Level 42 | |
| Notable instrument(s) | ||
| JayDees Bass Guitar | ||
Mark King (born 20 October 1958, in Cowes, Isle of Wight) is an English musician from the Isle of Wight. He is most famous for being the lead singer and bassist player of the band, Level 42. In the early 1980s King popularized the 1970s-era slap and pop style for playing the bass guitar by incorporating it into pop music.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
King began life on the Isle of Wight, a small island just off the southern mainland coast of England. His father, Raymond King, was a dairyman, and the family lived in a tied dairy house. King recalled in a 2006 newspaper interview [1], "it was post-war, with one brass tap, an outside toilet and a zinc bath in front of the fire." He later lived on the Camp Hill and Albany prison estates on the outskirts of Newport. He attended Kitbridge Middle School where he met his childhood sweetheart Tracey Wilson, later writing a song about her. He then went to Cowes High School.
Originally, King pursued a career as a drummer. His father bought him his first kit for £10, whilst he gained encouragement to pursue a career in music from his music teacher at middle school.
[edit] Level 42
King moved to London at the age of nineteen, subsequently forming Level 42 in 1979 with Mike Lindup and fellow Islanders, brothers Phil and Boon Gould. Still drumming at this point, when the band began jamming and needed a bass player, King reluctantly took over the role. He went on to make a lead instrument of the bass guitar. It should be noted that he did not intend to take up the role of playing bass, but merely did it by way of necessity. He had lost his drum kit on an ill-fated trip to Austria, having to sell it to pay for a ticket back home. Since Level 42 already had a drummer lined up, King played bass.
At one of their first gigs, at the La Babalu club in Ryde, Level 42 were spotted by the head of a small independent record label and signed. The next year they were signed to Polydor and King spent the next nine years recording and touring with the band. The first Top 40 single, "Love Games", was released in 1981, heralding the band's first appearance on Top of the Pops. The big breakthrough came with the release of "The Sun Goes Down (Livin' it up)" in 1983.
While in Level 42, King found his bass-playing services in some demand. He was invited by Nik Kershaw to play on his second album The Riddle (1984) and by Midge Ure to play on his albums The Gift (1985) and Answers To Nothing (1988).
Level 42 supported The Police in 1981, followed by tours with Steve Winwood in 1986 and Madonna in 1987. In 1986, King and Lindup performed alongside Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Mark Knopfler and Elton John at a Prince's Trust charity concert.
They released the album Retroglide in 2006 and a European tour followed.
[edit] Solo and later work
In 1984 he released his first solo album, Influences (at the time he needed a deposit to put down on a house - this album gave him that opportunity), followed by One Man in 1998. King was featured in a solo bass performance on UK Channel 4's The Tube, described afterwards by host Jools Holland as "virtuosity gone mad".
Since then, Level 42 has re-formed as a touring group, with King (lead singer and bass player), Gary Husband on drums, Nathan King on guitars and vocals, Lyndon Connah on keyboards and vocals, and Sean Freeman on saxophone and vocals. The band announced a tour in Autumn 2006, with a show at the Royal Albert Hall on 20 October. (original keyboard player Mike Lindup rejoined the band in 2006)
King spent 2005 writing and recording a new Level 42 album called Retroglide, which has been co-written by former Level 42 band-member Boon Gould. This was released in September 2006 and is available on iTunes and CD.
[edit] Playing style
Mark King developing and popularized the slap and pop style of playing the bass guitar. The slapping and popping style was developed in the 1970s by funk bassists such Larry Graham and further developed by jazz fusion bassists such as Stanley Clarke. King developed a rapid playing speed using this technique and introduced technical elements that enabled him to produce a mix of percussive effects while still playing a bass line. King's bass playing style is largely based on continuous 16th notes, variously described as "machine-gun" style.
The "machine-gun" style of playing consists of popping a note, hammering on, then slapping (occasionally with a left hand slap combined) very rapidly.
[edit] Instruments
King has used various models of bass guitar through the years, the two most commonly used brands have been JayDees (as exemplified by "Love Games") and the Status Graphite (evident on his solo works). Other known basses he has used are Alembics, Pangborn basses, a Zon bass (on the album "World Machine" for the song "Lying Still"). King's first fretless bass was a Japanese-made "Moon" jazz bass. King also owned two MusicMan basses, a Wal bass, which was fitted with an MB4 MIDI interface (used on the album "Guaranteed", on the track "Lasso The Moon").
In 1999, King briefly used Fender basses. A limited run of 42 "Mark King" Jazz basses were made, built and set up to King's specifications. They all came fitted with SIM's LED lights, flat-radiused fingerboards and a custom neck plate engraved with his signature. Also in 1999, King used GB basses, handmade in England by Bernie Goodfellow.
King has also used Status Graphite basses since the 1980s. Status Graphite basses are handmade in England by Rob Green. In November 2000, Rob Green and King developed the Status Kingbass, a headless, double cut bass with Status Hyperactive pickups and SIM's LEDs as standard on the Artist models.
[edit] Home life
King moved back to his native Isle of Wight in 1988. During the 1990s, he bought a pub in Ryde, Isle of Wight. The pub was called Joe Daflo's, a contraction of the names of his (then) three children, Jolie (born 1988), Darcy (born 1985) and Florrie (born 1982). King sold the pub in 2000 and it has since become a chain of pubs[citation needed] operating in the coastal towns of southern England.
King lives in Alverstone Garden Village on the Isle of Wight with his Dutch wife, Ria, and fourth child, Marlee, born in 1999.
[edit] Discography
For a Level 42 discography, click here.
[edit] Albums
- Influences (1984)
- One Man (1998)
- Trash (1999)
- Live at the Jazz Cafe (1999) (live)
- Live on the Isle of Wight (2000) (live)
[edit] Singles
- "I Feel Free" (1984) UK #96
- "Bitter Moon" (1998)
[edit] DVDs
- Mark King - One filter (1999) (live)
- Mark King Group - Live at the Jazz Cafe (1999) (live)
- Grupo Mark King - Live at the Isle of Wight (2000) (live)
[edit] External links
- Official Level 42 Website
- Bass Guitar Magazine Mark King Interviews & Transcriptions
- Forevernow.com - Most complete and regularly updated Level 42 site
- level42info.com: Information and rumours Website (English)
- Level 42 DK - Large collection of Level 42 scans
- Mark King at MusicBrainz
- Details of Mark Kings Jaydee Basses
- Status-Graphite Basses
- Status Bass User Forum
| Level 42 |
| Mark King | Mike Lindup | Rowland 'Boon' Gould | Gary Husband | Nathan King |
| Phil Gould | Jakko Jakszyk | Alan Murphy |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio albums: Level 42 | Strategy | The Pursuit of Accidents | Standing in the Light | True Colours | World Machine | Running in the Family | Staring at the Sun Guaranteed | Forever Now | Retroglide |
| Live albums: The River Sessions |
| Compilations: Level Best | On A Level | The very best of | Level 42 - The Early Tapes | The Ultimate Collection | The Definitive Collection |
| Famous singles: The Chinese Way | The Sun Goes Down | Hot Water | Somenthing About You | Leaving Me Now | Lessons In Love | Running in the Family | It's Over | Guaranteed | Forever Now |
| Videos: The Collection | Live at Reading UK | Live at Reading Concert Hall | Level 42 Live Apollo 2003 | The Ultimate Collection | Live at Wembley | Level 42 at Rock Palast |
