Biography
Marc Black is an eclectic folk-rocker who carries the Woodstock tradition of dealing with social and spiritual challenges…one song at a time.
His music ranges from free improvisations to Lightnin’ Hopkin’s blues. And he sings about Rachel Maddow, good coffee and just about everything in between. A finalist at Kerrville, his latest CD, ‘Pictures of the Highway, reached #6 on the Folk DJ Chart.
Marc tours extensively playing festivals, clubs and house concerts. He was named Folk Artist of the Year on ABC Radio’s Fame Games and was a finalist at the Kerrville Folk Festival. Sometime a Spark, his song about Mohamed Bouazizi and the Arab Spring caused an international stir that led to an interview on Tunisian State Radio.
John Sebastian, Taj Mahal, Art Garfunkel and Richie Havens are just a few of the folks who have recorded with Marc. While still in high school, his band, the Blades of Grass, reached the top forty and performed along side the biggest acts of the day including the Doors, Van Morrison and Neil Diamond.
When he was 21, he moved to Woodstock, NY where his band became a regional favorite, attracting world famous musicians in now legendary jams.
He has since recorded more than a dozen CD’s including one ‘pick hit’ in Billboard Magazine, and another that was recognized as a ‘minor masterpiece’ by famed music producer, John Hammond Sr.
Moving to New York City in the 1980’s, he won the American Library Association Award for Best Children’s Album when he produced the American Children CD, collaborating with many great talents including Taj Mahal, Richie Havens, and Rick Danko.
Once he was married and had kids, he entered the world of commercials and immediately had an international impact. His “How To Get It Done” campaign for AT&T altered the sound of underscoring with its modal music and layered sound design. He won the Mobius for Best Original Music and the London International Advertising Award, as well.
Now Marc’s kids are grown with bands of their own. Back on the road, ASCAP featured Marc in performance at the Sundance Film Festival. And several of his Youtube videos have been viewed about 50,000 times!
His songwriting has become quite political over the past couple years. No Fracking Way, recorded with Eric (dueling banjos) Weissberg and John Sebastian, has been sung at rallies as far away as South Africa, Ireland and Australia.
