Mark McKinney
5:45 p.m., Saturday, April 27,
REAL. TEXAS. MUSIC. MAIN. STAGE.
Mark McKinney likes to keep the people guessing.
Considered by Texas music fans to be a powerhouse of an entertainer, McKinney’s wide range of musical influences are clearly evident in his highly original songs and range from emotion and lyric rich Americana songs, rowdy Country drinking anthems to delicately crafted love songs.
A west Texas native, he moved to Austin 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 began touring with Texas country hell-raiser Kevin Fowler.
Anyone who has ever been to a Mark McKinney show knows that he delivers a high-powered, energetic live performance centered around crowd favorites like “Bonfire” and “Drink Too Much” that can work a rowdy, honky-tonkin crowd. But his studio albums will surprise you. Ballads such as “Long Night Coming On,” and “Sleeping Alone Tonight,” from his “Middle America” album and “Warm with You” off of his latest studio album, “Home,” offer honest and personal lyrics, and show a deeper side to his songwriting.
Touring constantly since 2006, Mark has delivered over 160 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, and Kyle Park.
Newcomer to the Texas music scene, Brian Burke, recently released his latest single “Close,” a light-hearted love song, co-written with McKinney that has spent 8 weeks on the Texas Music Chart since its radio debut in the spring of 2012. McKinney has also gained national recognition by having several songs licensed and used by ESPN and NASCAR.
In the summer of 2008 during a tour with Fowler 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.
With three studio albums, a live album, nine Top 10 hits on the Texas country charts, an ever-growing fan base and a favorite entertainer of Texas music scene, Mark McKinney is a force to be reckoned with, and has no plans of slowing down any time soon.
“I’m starting work on my fourth studio album, and I’ve never been more excited about a collection of songs than these. I feel like I’m really coming back to my roots, and my song writing is heading in a very inspiring and exciting direction, and I can’t wait to share that with friends and fans.”
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