Mark William Bryan (born May 6, 1967) is an American musician. He is a founding member, songwriter, and lead guitarist of the band Hootie & the Blowfish. In 1986, Bryan and his friend

Darius Rucker Darius Carlos Rucker (born May 13, 1966) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Carol ...

formed a duo called the Wolf Brothers while attending the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

. Eventually, friends Dean Felber and Jim Sonefeld joined the band, which led to the founding of Hootie & the Blowfish in 1989. Bryan has also released three solo albums: '' 30 on the Rail'', '' End of the Front'', and ''Songs of the Fortnight''.

Early life and career

Bryan was born in

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially Unincorporated area, unincorporated, it is an edge city with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ...

. He attended

Seneca Valley High School Seneca Valley High School (SVHS) is a public high school serving grades 9–12 in Germantown, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) system. The current building was finished in 2021, and has a capac ...

Germantown, Maryland Germantown is an urbanized census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. With a population of 91,249 as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous community in Maryland, after Baltimore and Columbia, Maryland, Col ...

, and received his bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from the

in 1989. While attending the university, he collaborated with

to create an acoustic duo band called The Wolf Brothers. From there they grew to form a new band named Hootie & the Blowfish with friends Dean Felber and Jim Sonefeld.

Hootie & the Blowfish

Hootie and the Blowfish is an American rock band formed at the

, Dean Felber, Jim Sonefeld, and Mark Bryan in 1986. As of July 2010, the band had charted sixteen singles on various Billboard singles charts and recorded five studio albums; and their 1994 debut album, ''

Cracked Rear View ''Cracked Rear View'' is the debut studio album by Hootie & the Blowfish, released on July 5, 1994, by Atlantic Records. Released to positive critical reviews, it eventually became one of the highest-selling albums in the United States, and also ...

'', was the 16th-best-selling album of all time in the U.S., having been certified platinum 16 times. They have sold over 21 million albums in the United States alone. ''

'' went on to earn the Billboard's Band of the Year Award in 1996 and the RIAA's Diamond Award for sales of 10 million units. ''

'' remains the 12th best selling album in music business history, and all albums combined have moved over 25 million worldwide. The band has since gone their separate ways; however, Hootie & the Blowfish still perform together numerous times each year. Bryan is a consistent participant in the Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament. All proceeds from this tournament go to the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation which makes donations to education and junior golf charities. Hootie & the Blowfish also holds Hootie HomeGrown, an annual event in which they perform a concert to benefit area schools.

Solo career

Since moving to

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

, in 1999, Bryan has produced full-length albums, as well as co-written and produced songs for other artists. He was also involved in founding the College of Charleston Radio Station, and is helping to develop a music industry concentration there. In 2001, Bryan founded Carolina Studios, a local nonprofit after school music recording and technology program that helps children ages 8–18 thrive in music and the arts. Bryan became a chairman on the board of Carolina Studios in 2007. In 2012, Bryan partnered with NASCAR driver

Denny Hamlin James Dennis Alan Hamlin (born November 18, 1980) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing. He also co-owns and op ...

to create Pro-Am Jam, a yearly golf event for the Denny Hamlin Foundation, Carolina Studios, and Student Transportation of America Education Foundation. In 2009, Mark created Chucktown Music Group, partnering with long-time friend Ashley Flowers in 2014. Chucktown Music Group offers services to local artists including music licensing, promotion, marketing and industry connection. Bryan has also created, executive produced, and hosted a Southeast Emmy Award winning show called Live at the Charleston Music Hall. Bryan created a band with Hank Futch of The Blue Dogs and Gary Greene of Cravin Melon. One of their songs, ''

The Great Beyond "The Great Beyond" is a song by American rock band R.E.M., written for the 1999 film '' Man on the Moon''. It was released as a single the same year for support of the film's soundtrack album. On the soundtrack, there is some dialogue from the m ...

'' is the theme song for Live at the Charleston Music Hall.

Discography

Albums

* '' 30 on the Rail'' (

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

). Produced by Don Dixon (2000) * ''End of the Front'' Artist Garage/Fontana. Produced by Fred LeBlanc/

Nick Brophy Nick Brophy is an American mixer, sound engineer, record producer and songwriter. The artists he has collaborated with and written for include Jason Aldean, the Rolling Stones, Avril Lavigne, Hootie & the Blowfish, Kenny Chesney, Carly Simon, Ta ...

/Mark Bryan (2008) * ''Songs of the Fortnight'' (2016) * ''Midlife Priceless'' (2021)

EPs

* ''State Your Peace'' (2004)

Singles

* "Maybe Then (Electric)" (2012) * "Coffee County Line" by Carolyn Evans feat. Mark Bryan (2012) * "Be Happy Christmas" (2013) * "Theme for Being John Daly" (2014) * "Keep My Mouth Closed" by Bettina and Mark Bryan (2014) * "Color Me" (2017)

Production credits

*"Doug Jones Everybody, Doug Jones" by "Doug Jones", produced by Mark Bryan (2007) *"Thank You, Mark" by "Danielle Howle", produced by Mark Bryan (2006) *"Six Trips Around the Sun" by "The Django Walker Band", produced by Mark Bryan (2005) *"Wrecked" by " Five Way Friday", produced by Mark Bryan (2003) *"Chances Are" by "Patrick Davis", produced by Mark Bryan (2003)

With Hootie & The Blowfish

*''Hootie and the Blowfish'' (DEMO) with Fishco (1991) *''Kootchypop'' with Fishco (1993) *''

'' with

(1994) *''

Fairweather Johnson ''Fairweather Johnson'' is the second studio album by American rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, released on April 23, 1996, through Atlantic Records. Three songs from the album were released as singles: "Old Man & Me", "Tucker's Town", and "Sad ...

'' with

(1996) *''

Musical Chairs Musical chairs, also known as Trip to Jerusalem, is a game of elimination involving players, chairs, and music. It is a staple of many parties worldwide. Gameplay A set of chairs is arranged in a circle with one fewer chair than the numbe ...

'' with

(1998) *''

Scattered, Smothered and Covered ''Scattered, Smothered and Covered'' is a covers album by American rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, released in 2000. The album was named in honor of Waffle House, a Southern restaurant chain. One of Waffle House's advertising campaigns used ...

'' with

(2000) *'' Hootie & the Blowfish'' with

(2003) *'' The Best of Hootie & the Blowfish: 1993-2003'' with

Rhino A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

(2004) *'' Looking for Lucky'' with

Vanguard Records Vanguard Recording Society is an American record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the so ...

(2005) *'' Live in Charleston'' (2006) *''

Imperfect Circle ''Imperfect Circle'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, released on Capitol Records Nashville on November 1, 2019. It is their first new studio album in fourteen years; it has received mixed reviews and mode ...

'' with Capital Nashville (2019)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryan, Mark 1967 births American rock guitarists American male guitarists Hootie & the Blowfish members Living people American mandolinists Musicians from Silver Spring, Maryland People from Germantown, Maryland 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists Guitarists from Maryland