Mark Alan Thompson - Artist Bio
If you ask almost any artist they will tell you music is a gift they are born with, a passion that not only comforts them but motivates them to succeed. For Mark Alan Thompson, nothing could be truer. Music has been a major part of his life from the very beginning.
Growing up in Seth, West Virginia, Mark learned to play the guitar by the age of 13 and started playing bass in the gospel band “Peace of Mind” within three short years. At the same time, his deep love for country music led him to start his own local country band, The Rebels.
After graduation and a short stint in college, Mark took his dreams to Nashville and recorded his first studio album. With the help of his Uncle/Manager Paul Stover, he was able to work the road with the world famous Hee-Haw Band led by Harmonica legend Charlie McCoy. Soon afterwards he formed his next band “Mark Alan and The Blaze” and started opening for artists such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Earl Thomas Conley, Johnny Paycheck, David Allen Cole, Exile and T. Graham Brown.
It was at a performance in Tazewell, Virginia with TNN’s Ralph Emory as the MC, where Ralph strongly encouraged Mark to make the move to Nashville and Mark took that advice. This proved to be a very beneficial decision as he was able to experience working with legendary producer Norro Wilson and began to expand his writing skills by writing with some of Nashville’s finest writers.
In 2002 Mark was being produced by session drummer extraordinaire turned producer, Clyde Brooks. From that project, Mark released two singles which received significant radio play across the country and in Europe. Around the same time, one of the 300 or so songs that he has written, “Soldier with a Gun” won the Patriotic Song of the Year award on the Nationally Syndicated G. Gordon Liddy Show and Mark appeared as a guest as a result of that award.
It was during this time that Mark became burnt out with the struggles of being an independent artist and decided to take a break from performing to devote more time to writing. He also began producing other artists and produced a number one European record “Widow’s Prayer” for Cynda Bennett. Between 2003 and 2005 he produced over 25 independent artists and hundreds of demos.
In 2005 he started ALL THAT Productions, Inc. along with long-time friend George (Skip) Burke, Jr. with a focus on Artist Development and Music Production. After a couple of years developing and producing other artists, Mark’s desire to perform resurfaced and he decided to record a new album which will be released in February 2008 on his very own label ATP Records.
For the first time in a long time, that old fire of artistic freedom is burning again. With that in mind, the future could be even brighter for Mark and ATP Records!