Biography
KEYBOARDIST MARK ALEXANDER HAS WORKED WITH A DIVERSE RANGE OF ARTISTS INCLUDING JOE COCKER, MEAT LOAF, ENRIQUE IGLESIAS, TOM JONES, THE E STREET BAND, AL GREEN, NONA HENDRYX, LUCIANO PAVAROTTI, DARLENE LOVE, LITTLE STEVEN AND OTHERS. HIS WORK HAS ALSO APPEARED IN FEATURE FILMS AND TELEVISION AND RADIO COMMERCIALS.
GROWING UP IN NEW CANAAN, CONNECTICUT, MARK RECALLS, "MY PARENTS TOOK ME TO SEE THE DUKE ELLINGTON BAND AT A LOCAL CHURCH. I WAS FOUR YEARS OLD! HALFWAY INTO THE CONCERT I DISCOVERED HARMONY. WOW!!! ALL THOSE DIFFERENT INSTRUMENTS PLAYING DIFFERENT NOTES BUT THE NOTES BLEND SOMEHOW. I WAS FASCINATED AND HOOKED
AT THE AGE OF FIVE MARK BEGAN FORMAL PIANO TRAINING. AFTER STUDYING CLASSICAL PIANO FOR SEVERAL YEARS, HE BEGAN TO EXPLORE JAZZ AND ROCK STUDYING WITH JAZZ GREATS DARIUS BRUBECK AND JOHN MEHEEGAN, WORKING HIS PERFORMANCE CHOPS GIGGING WEEKENDS. AFTER GRADUATING FROM NEW CANAAN HIGH SCHOOL IN 1977, MARK STUDIED MUSIC AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY WHERE HE GRADUATED IN 1982 WITH HIS BACHELOR OF MUSIC DEGREE.
MOVING TO NEW YORK CITY IN THE SUMMER OF 1983 TO RECORD AN ALBUM WITH NEWLY SIGNED ATLANTIC ARTIST, CASPER MCLOUD, MARK QUICKLY BECAME A REGULAR IN THE NEW YORK MUSIC WORLD. "THERE WAS A VERY COOL SCENE IN THE 80'S...A LOT OF RECORDING SESSIONS, LOTS OF NEW TECHNOLOGY, AND A LIVE MUSIC SCENE THAT WAS THRIVING. IT WAS A GREAT TIME TO COME TO NEW YORK AND CONNECT WITH OTHER PLAYERS".
AFTER TOURING WITH R'N'B ARTIST MELISSA MORGAN AND A SHORT STINT WITH PRINCE PROTƒGƒ JILL JONES, MARK JOINED UP WITH LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL. LITTLE STEVEN WAS LOOKING FOR A BAND TO TAKE ON HIS "FREEDOM NO COMPROMISE" TOUR. THIS WAS THE START OF A LONG TERM RELATIONSHIP WITH STEVEN, WHICH INCLUDED WORKING ON STEVEN'S FOLLOW UP ALBUM "REVOLUTION" AS AN ASSOCIATE PRODUCER AND KEYBOARD PLAYER/PROGRAMMER, AS WELL AS ON RECORDS WITH THE E STREET BAND, DARLENE LOVE AND OTHERS.
IN 1989, PRODUCER/GUITARIST PAT THRALL, A BAND MATE FROM THE LITTLE STEVEN DAYS, RECOMMENDED MARK FOR THE PIANO SPOT IN MEAT'S BAND. MEAT MET MARK AND AFTER A HANDSHAKE, HIRED HIM ON THE SPOT. MARK FOUND HIMSELF ON A TOUR BUS 2 WEEKS LATER HEADING OUT ON WHAT WOULD BE A 2 1/2 YEAR TOUR. "MEAT LOAF IS DEFINITELY THE HARDEST WORKING GUY I'VE EVER WORKED WITH, AND EVER WILL."
FOLLOWING THE TOUR, MARK WENT ON TO PLAY WITH ARISTA ARTIST CURTIS STIGERS, PLAYED KEYBOARDS ON HIS DEBUT TOUR (WHICH INCLUDED TOURING WITH ERIC CLAPTON AND ELTON JOHN) AND ON HIS FOLLOW UP ALBUM "THIS TIME" (ARISTA RECORDS, 1995).
IN 1993, MARK WAS INVITED AGAIN TO PLAY PIANO FOR MEAT. THE NEXT FEW YEARS INCLUDED A MASSIVE TOUR PROMOTING THE 20 MILLION SELLER, "BACK INTO HELL" AND HUGELY SUCCESSFUL SINGLE "I WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR LOVE, BUT I WON'T DO THAT". AT THE TOUR'S END, MARK RECORDED MEAT'S FOLLOW-UP ALBUM "WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD", AND THEN HIT THE ROAD FOR HIS THIRD WORLD TOUR WITH MEAT.
IN 1996 MARK OPENED HIS OWN STUDIO IN MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, "THE TREEHOUSE" CONCENTRATING ON PRODUCING AND WRITING FOR VARIOUS FILM PROJECTS AND NUMEROUS COMMERCIALS. WHEN THE PERFORMING AND TOURING ITCH RETURNED, HE GOT THE CALL TO PLAY PIANO WITH THE GREAT AND LEGENDARY JOE COCKER. TOURING EUROPE, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND AND AMERICA, MARK PLAYED PIANO, HAMMOND ORGAN, GUITAR, (INCLUDING ACCORDIAN ON JOE'S HIT SINGLE "N'OUBLIEZ JAMAIS." AS JOE'S TOUR STARTED TO WIND DOWN, MARK JOINED ENRIQUE IGLESIAS' BAND AND FOUND HIMSELF TOURING HEAVILY IN NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA, EUROPE, AND RUSSIA.
AFTER TAKING A YEAR OFF FROM TOURING TO WRITE MUSIC AND START A FAMILY, MARK JOINED UP WITH MEAT LOAF ONCE AGAIN FOR THE 2001 "NIGHT OF THE PROMS", TOURING EUROPE FOR 10 WEEKS WITH FULL ORCHESTRA AND CHOIR. FOLLOWING THE TOUR, HE BEGAN WORK ON MEAT'S NEW CD "COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER" AND WHAT WOULD BE THEIR FOURTH WORLD TOUR TOGETHER.
WHETHER LAYING DOWN A SOULFUL PIANO TRACK, GETTING FUNKED UP, CHILLED OUT OR TURNED INSIDE OUT WITH TASTY SYNTHS, OR MILKING THE WAIL OF A HAMMOND FOR ALL IT'S WORTH, MARK'S PHILOSOPHY TOWARDS MUSCIC REMAINS THE SAME: "IT DON'T MEAN A THING IF IT AIN'T GOT THAT SWING"
GROWING UP IN NEW CANAAN, CONNECTICUT, MARK RECALLS, "MY PARENTS TOOK ME TO SEE THE DUKE ELLINGTON BAND AT A LOCAL CHURCH. I WAS FOUR YEARS OLD! HALFWAY INTO THE CONCERT I DISCOVERED HARMONY. WOW!!! ALL THOSE DIFFERENT INSTRUMENTS PLAYING DIFFERENT NOTES BUT THE NOTES BLEND SOMEHOW. I WAS FASCINATED AND HOOKED
AT THE AGE OF FIVE MARK BEGAN FORMAL PIANO TRAINING. AFTER STUDYING CLASSICAL PIANO FOR SEVERAL YEARS, HE BEGAN TO EXPLORE JAZZ AND ROCK STUDYING WITH JAZZ GREATS DARIUS BRUBECK AND JOHN MEHEEGAN, WORKING HIS PERFORMANCE CHOPS GIGGING WEEKENDS. AFTER GRADUATING FROM NEW CANAAN HIGH SCHOOL IN 1977, MARK STUDIED MUSIC AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY WHERE HE GRADUATED IN 1982 WITH HIS BACHELOR OF MUSIC DEGREE.
MOVING TO NEW YORK CITY IN THE SUMMER OF 1983 TO RECORD AN ALBUM WITH NEWLY SIGNED ATLANTIC ARTIST, CASPER MCLOUD, MARK QUICKLY BECAME A REGULAR IN THE NEW YORK MUSIC WORLD. "THERE WAS A VERY COOL SCENE IN THE 80'S...A LOT OF RECORDING SESSIONS, LOTS OF NEW TECHNOLOGY, AND A LIVE MUSIC SCENE THAT WAS THRIVING. IT WAS A GREAT TIME TO COME TO NEW YORK AND CONNECT WITH OTHER PLAYERS".
AFTER TOURING WITH R'N'B ARTIST MELISSA MORGAN AND A SHORT STINT WITH PRINCE PROTƒGƒ JILL JONES, MARK JOINED UP WITH LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL. LITTLE STEVEN WAS LOOKING FOR A BAND TO TAKE ON HIS "FREEDOM NO COMPROMISE" TOUR. THIS WAS THE START OF A LONG TERM RELATIONSHIP WITH STEVEN, WHICH INCLUDED WORKING ON STEVEN'S FOLLOW UP ALBUM "REVOLUTION" AS AN ASSOCIATE PRODUCER AND KEYBOARD PLAYER/PROGRAMMER, AS WELL AS ON RECORDS WITH THE E STREET BAND, DARLENE LOVE AND OTHERS.
IN 1989, PRODUCER/GUITARIST PAT THRALL, A BAND MATE FROM THE LITTLE STEVEN DAYS, RECOMMENDED MARK FOR THE PIANO SPOT IN MEAT'S BAND. MEAT MET MARK AND AFTER A HANDSHAKE, HIRED HIM ON THE SPOT. MARK FOUND HIMSELF ON A TOUR BUS 2 WEEKS LATER HEADING OUT ON WHAT WOULD BE A 2 1/2 YEAR TOUR. "MEAT LOAF IS DEFINITELY THE HARDEST WORKING GUY I'VE EVER WORKED WITH, AND EVER WILL."
FOLLOWING THE TOUR, MARK WENT ON TO PLAY WITH ARISTA ARTIST CURTIS STIGERS, PLAYED KEYBOARDS ON HIS DEBUT TOUR (WHICH INCLUDED TOURING WITH ERIC CLAPTON AND ELTON JOHN) AND ON HIS FOLLOW UP ALBUM "THIS TIME" (ARISTA RECORDS, 1995).
IN 1993, MARK WAS INVITED AGAIN TO PLAY PIANO FOR MEAT. THE NEXT FEW YEARS INCLUDED A MASSIVE TOUR PROMOTING THE 20 MILLION SELLER, "BACK INTO HELL" AND HUGELY SUCCESSFUL SINGLE "I WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR LOVE, BUT I WON'T DO THAT". AT THE TOUR'S END, MARK RECORDED MEAT'S FOLLOW-UP ALBUM "WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD", AND THEN HIT THE ROAD FOR HIS THIRD WORLD TOUR WITH MEAT.
IN 1996 MARK OPENED HIS OWN STUDIO IN MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, "THE TREEHOUSE" CONCENTRATING ON PRODUCING AND WRITING FOR VARIOUS FILM PROJECTS AND NUMEROUS COMMERCIALS. WHEN THE PERFORMING AND TOURING ITCH RETURNED, HE GOT THE CALL TO PLAY PIANO WITH THE GREAT AND LEGENDARY JOE COCKER. TOURING EUROPE, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND AND AMERICA, MARK PLAYED PIANO, HAMMOND ORGAN, GUITAR, (INCLUDING ACCORDIAN ON JOE'S HIT SINGLE "N'OUBLIEZ JAMAIS." AS JOE'S TOUR STARTED TO WIND DOWN, MARK JOINED ENRIQUE IGLESIAS' BAND AND FOUND HIMSELF TOURING HEAVILY IN NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA, EUROPE, AND RUSSIA.
AFTER TAKING A YEAR OFF FROM TOURING TO WRITE MUSIC AND START A FAMILY, MARK JOINED UP WITH MEAT LOAF ONCE AGAIN FOR THE 2001 "NIGHT OF THE PROMS", TOURING EUROPE FOR 10 WEEKS WITH FULL ORCHESTRA AND CHOIR. FOLLOWING THE TOUR, HE BEGAN WORK ON MEAT'S NEW CD "COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER" AND WHAT WOULD BE THEIR FOURTH WORLD TOUR TOGETHER.
WHETHER LAYING DOWN A SOULFUL PIANO TRACK, GETTING FUNKED UP, CHILLED OUT OR TURNED INSIDE OUT WITH TASTY SYNTHS, OR MILKING THE WAIL OF A HAMMOND FOR ALL IT'S WORTH, MARK'S PHILOSOPHY TOWARDS MUSCIC REMAINS THE SAME: "IT DON'T MEAN A THING IF IT AIN'T GOT THAT SWING"