Mark Karan (born January 13, 1955) is an American guitarist and singer. He is best known for his long-term work with former members of the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...

, in

RatDog RatDog is an American rock band. The group began in 1995 as a side project for Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir. After the Dead disbanded later that year, RatDog became Weir's primary band. They performed some Grateful Dead songs, a mi ...

(1998–2013),

the Other Ones The Other Ones was an American rock band formed in 1998 by former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, and Mickey Hart, along with part-time Grateful Dead collaborator Bruce Hornsby. In 2000, Bill Kreutzmann, another Grateful Dead alumnu ...

(1998–2000),

Mickey Hart Mickey Hart (born Michael Steven Hartman, September 11, 1943) is an American percussionist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 until February 19 ...

's band Planet Drum (1999), and

Phil Lesh and Friends Phil Lesh and Friends was an American rock band formed and led by Phil Lesh, former bassist of the Grateful Dead. Phil & Friends is not a traditional group in that several different lineups of musicians have played under the name, including gro ...

(2012). Karan has also played and toured with Terrapin Flyer, Delaney Bramlett, the Rembrandts, Sophie B. Hawkins, Dave Mason, and Paul Carrack. Karan leads the bands Jemimah Puddleduck and Mark Karan's Buds. In 2009 he released a solo album, '' Walk Through the Fire''.

Career

Karan has played guitar and sung for a number of different artists, including

Dave Mason David Thomas Mason (born 10 May 1946) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Worcester, who came to prominence in 1967 as a founding member of the rock band Traffic. While with Traffic, he wrote and sang lead vocals on two of the b ...

Huey Lewis Hugh Anthony Cregg III (born July 5, 1950), known professionally as Huey Lewis, is an American actor and former singer-songwriter. Lewis sang lead and played harmonica for his band, Huey Lewis and the News, until being forced into retirement due ...

Paul Carrack Paul Melvyn Carrack (born 22 April 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter and composer who has recorded as both a solo artist and as a member of several popular bands. The BBC dubbed Carrack "The Man with the Golden Voice", while '' ...

Delaney Bramlett Delaine Alvin "Delaney" Bramlett (July 1, 1939 – December 27, 2008) was an American singer and guitarist. He was best known for his musical partnership with his wife Bonnie Bramlett in the band Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, which included a ...

Sophie B. Hawkins Sophie Ballantine Hawkins (born November 1, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and painter. Born in New York City, she attended the Manhattan School of Music for a year as a percussionist before leaving to pursue a music career. ...

, and

The Rembrandts The Rembrandts are an American alternative rock duo, formed by Danny Wilde and Phil Solem in 1989. They had previously worked together as members of Great Buildings in 1981. The Rembrandts are best known for the song " I'll Be There for You", ...

. From 1986 to 1989 he was the guitarist and co-producer for the band Slings & Arrows which included

Daniel Levitin Daniel Joseph Levitin, FRSC (born December 27, 1957) is an American-Canadian polymath, cognitive psychologist, neuroscientist, writer, musician, and record producer. He is the author of four ''New York Times'' best-selling books, including '' T ...

on bass. In 1998 he was selected, along with

Steve Kimock Steve Kimock (born October 5, 1955) is an American rock guitarist. He was a member of San Francisco Bay Area bands Zero and KVHW. His tone and some of his playing approach has been compared to Jerry Garcia, who was a friend of his, and he has ...

, to fill the lead guitar slot in

The Other Ones The Other Ones was an American rock band formed in 1998 by former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, and Mickey Hart, along with part-time Grateful Dead collaborator Bruce Hornsby. In 2000, Bill Kreutzmann, another Grateful Dead alumnu ...

, a band featuring former members of the

. He played with the Other Ones on their 1998 and 2000 tours, and appeared with the 1998 lineup on their only album, the live compilation "

The Strange Remain ''The Strange Remain'' is a live album by the rock band the Other Ones. It was recorded live on the Furthur Festival tour in 1998 and released in 1999. The album reached number one on '' Billboard's'' Top Heatseekers chart and number 112 on th ...

" in 1999. He has also played with Mickey Hart's Planet Drum and

Phil Lesh & Friends Phil Lesh and Friends was an American rock band formed and led by Phil Lesh, former bassist of the Grateful Dead. Phil & Friends is not a traditional group in that several different lineups of musicians have played under the name, including gro ...

over the years. In October 1998 Karan was asked to join RatDog, a band led by Grateful Dead alumnus

Bob Weir Robert Hall Weir ( ; né Parber, born October 16, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the group disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with the Other Ones, later known as the Dead ...

. Karan was part of the RatDog lineup for most of the next 13 years. He also records or composes a wide variety of music for film, television, and music libraries. His contributions to TV alone can currently be heard on over 15 networks and internationally in over 25 countries. On June 30, 2009, Karan released his debut album '' Walk Through the Fire'' to critical acclaim. It features

Billy Payne William Porter Payne (born October 13, 1947) is an American lawyer and businessman who served as the former chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, having served in that position from 2006 to 2017 and overseeing the introduction of the first wom ...

Mike Finnigan Michael Kelly Finnigan (April 26, 1945 – August 11, 2021) was an American keyboard player and vocalist, his specialty being the B3 Hammond organ. Working primarily as a freelance studio musician and touring player, he played with a wide variet ...

Pete Sears Peter Roy Sears (born 27 May 1948) is an English rock musician. In a career spanning more than six decades, he has been a member of many bands and has moved through a variety of musical genres, from early R&B, psychedelic improvisational rock ...

John Molo John Molo (born December 5, 1953, Bethesda, Maryland) is an American rock music, rock and jazz drummer and percussionist. He has played with a variety of bands, combos, and soloists. Best known for being the drummer for Bruce Hornsby and the Rang ...

Hutch Hutchinson James "Hutch" Hutchinson (born January 24, 1953) is an American session bassist best known for his work with Bonnie Raitt. Though his work takes him nearly everywhere he primarily resides in Studio City, Los Angeles, California, and Haiku-Pauw ...

The Persuasions The Persuasions were an American a cappella group that formed in Brooklyn, New York in 1962, singing under corner streetlights and in subway corridors. Their style combined gospel, soul, early rock, and jazz into melodic five-part harmonies. ...

The Rowan Brothers ''The Rowan Brothers'' is the eponymous debut studio album by the country rock duo The Rowan Brothers. Track listing # "Hickory Day" # "All Together" # "Best You Can" # "One More Time" # "Lay Me Down" # "Wizard" # "Mama Don't You Cry" # "Gold" ...

, and many more. His TV appearances include

Austin City Limits ''Austin City Limits'' is an American Concert, live music Television show, television program recorded and produced by KLRU, Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", an ...

, VH1 Classic's All Star Jams, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Late Late Night with Craig Kilborn, Today Show and Regis & Kathy Lee. Karan has also been showcased in live performances and featured interviews on SiriusXM, in addition to commercial and specialty radio nationwide. Karan also sometimes tours while leading his own band. He has performed with a band called Live Dead '69 as part of the Airplane Family & Friends tour in December 2016. He has also performed with Live/Dead '69 at shows they have performed at on their own. This band usually features former Grateful Dead keyboardist

Tom Constanten Tom Constanten (born March 19, 1944) is an American keyboardist, best known for playing with the Grateful Dead from 1968 to 1970, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Biography Early career Born in Long Branc ...

and sometimes features Karan's RatDog bandmates

Robin Sylvester Robin Sylvester (1950 – 29 October 2022) was an English musician who was best known as a member of the American band RatDog. Although primarily a bass guitar, bass player, he played several instruments, including the guitar and keyboards, and ...

and

Jay Lane Jay Lane (born December 5, 1964) is an American musician. He is a founding member of Bob Weir's RatDog, with Weir and Rob Wasserman, Wolf Bros, Furthur, Golden Gate Wingmen, Dead & Company and Alphabet Soup. He was the 5th and then later the 8 ...

Cancer battle

In July 2007, Karan announced that he was being treated for throat cancer.

sat in for Karan on the Ratdog summer tour. Karan returned to the lineup in March 2008 and remains in remission.

Touring credits

– USA Tour (1988) *

– World Tours (1991, 1992) *

– USA & Australian Tours (1996) *

– USA Tour (1998, 2000) *

Bob Weir & RatDog RatDog is an American rock band. The group began in 1995 as a side project for Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir. After the Dead disbanded later that year, RatDog became Weir's primary band. They performed some Grateful Dead songs, a mix ...

– USA Tours (1998–2013) *

Planet Drum ''Planet Drum'' is a world music album by Mickey Hart, a musician and musicologist who was a member of the rock band the Grateful Dead. Hart's concept for ''Planet Drum'' was to play drum music with percussionists from around the world, and i ...

– USA Summer Tour (1999, inc."Woodstock '99") *

– Mississippi Tour (2006)

Discography

Solo work

*'' Jemimah Puddleduck'' (2000) – Jemimah Puddleduck *'' Walk Through the Fire'' (2009) – Mark Karan

Bands / live

*''

'' (1999) –

*''

Evening Moods ''Evening Moods'' is the only studio album by the band RatDog, featuring former Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir. Released on 26 September 2000, it consists of a number of new songs introduced by RatDog during the previous year and a G ...

'' (2000) –

Ratdog RatDog is an American rock band. The group began in 1995 as a side project for Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir. After the Dead disbanded later that year, RatDog became Weir's primary band. They performed some Grateful Dead songs, a mi ...

*''

Live at Roseland ''Live at Roseland'' is a 2001 live album by the band RatDog, featuring former Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir. In contrast to studio album ''Evening Moods'', this release contains mostly songs from the Grateful Dead song book. It w ...

'' (2001) –

*'' On the Road: 07-02-06 Red Rocks'' (2006) –

String Cheese Incident The String Cheese Incident (SCI) is an American jam band from Crested Butte and Telluride, Colorado, formed in 1993. The band is composed of Michael Kang (acoustic/electric mandolin, electric guitar, and violin), Michael Travis (drums and percu ...

Album sessions

*''Temptation'' (1981) – Holly Stanton *''Beyond Passion'' (1990) – Sky *''Chopped & Channeled'' (1991) – Dynatones *''Makin' It Real'' (1993) –

Jesse Colin Young Perry Miller (November 22, 1941 – March 16, 2025), known professionally as Jesse Colin Young, was an American singer and songwriter. He was a founding member and lead singer of the 1960s group the Youngbloods. After their dissolution in 1972, ...

*''Exception to the Rule'' (1994) –

Arnold McCuller Arnold McCuller (born August 26, 1950) is an American vocalist, songwriter, and record producer, born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He was active as a solo artist and session musician, but is perhaps best known for his work as a touring back-u ...

*''Crazy Boy'' (1995) –

*''Moment of Truth'' (1996) – Jack James *''Chicago Songs'' (1996) – Skip Haynes *''Well'' (1996) – David Grow *''Coast of Paradise'' (1996) – Suzy K *''Open the Door'' (1998) – Janet Robin *''Hindsight'' (1998) –

John Purdell John Purdell (July 8, 1959 – July 10, 2003) was an American keyboardist, songwriter, music engineer, and multi-platinum rock music record producer who is credited on such albums as Ozzy Osbourne's '' No More Tears'' (1991) and Dream Theate ...

*''

Spin This ''Spin This'' is a solo album by The Rembrandts' Danny Wilde, released by Elektra Records in 1998. The album is credited to "Danny Wilde + The Rembrandts." As a result, the album is still technically a full Rembrandts album, despite being rele ...

!'' (1998) – Danny Wilde & The Rembrants *''Still Searching for Soul'' (1999) – Corey Feldman's Truth Movement *''Mister Blue'' (1999) – Mr. Blue *''Pieces'' (1999) – P.J. Levy *''Sounds from Home'' (2000) –

*''Former Child Actor'' (2002) –

Corey Feldman Corey Scott Feldman (born July 16, 1971) is an American actor and musician. As a youth, he became well known for his roles in popular 1980s films such as '' Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter'' (1984), '' Gremlins'' (1984), '' The Goonies'' (198 ...

*''Blue Sky'' (2003) – David Ralston *''The Whole Enchilada'' (2003) – Teresa James *''Emptiness and Ecstasy'' (2004) –

Wynne Paris Wynne Paris (born June 22, 1964, in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama) was a new-age and world beat musician/producer with a special focus on yoga music and kirtan, the call-and-response singing of Bhakti yoga. His live performance combines Kirtan chanti ...

*''Still Dancin (2006) – G 13 *''Khemmenu: Land of the Moon'' (2006) – Sky *''Crossing the Line'' (2008) – Bill Cutler *''Live/Studio Closet Tapes'' (2008) – The Moonlighters (Bill Kirchen, Richard Casanova, Tony Johnson, Steve MacKay) *''A New Kind Of Blues'' (2008) –

*''Persuasions of the Dead: The Grateful Dead Sessions'' (2011) – The Persuasions & Friends *''

Family Business A family business is a commercial organization in which decision-making is influenced by multiple generations of a family, related by Consanguinity , blood, marriage or adoption, who has both the ability to influence the vision of the business a ...

'' (2019) –

Ronnie Penque Ronnie Penque (born March 23, 1962) is a bassist, singer and songwriter who has been working in the music industry for over 30 years. He has been the bassist for the country rock band New Riders of the Purple Sage since 2005. The New Riders emer ...

Compilation albums

*''Bad Sci-Fi Soundtrack Series: Attack Of The Killer B Movies'' (1995) – various artists – performed with Scarecrow Adams) *''Further Most'' (2000) – "Ramble On Rose" and "Easy Answers", performed by

*''KBCO Studio C, Volume 12'' (2000) – "Odessa", performed by

Bob Weir & Ratdog RatDog is an American rock band. The group began in 1995 as a side project for Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir. After the Dead disbanded later that year, RatDog became Weir's primary band. They performed some Grateful Dead songs, a mix ...

*''KPRI Live Tracks 3'' (2002) – "KC Moan", performed by

& Mark Karan *'' Weir Here - The Best of Bob Weir'' (2004) –

*''KBCO Studio C, Volume 16'' (2005) – " Ripple", performed by

*''KPFA Live From Berkeley'' (2005) – "Memphis Radio", performed by Jemimah Puddleduck *''Jam on Guitars'' (2009) – various artists'' *''KPFA Live From Berkeley, Vol 2'' (2012) – "Leave a Light On", performed by A Mark Karan Experience

Singles sessions

*"Run to Her" (1983) – Julie Stafford

Film and TV soundtracks

*''

Chantilly Lace Chantilly lace is a handmade bobbin lace named after the city of Chantilly,"Chantilly" ''The Oxford English Dictionary''. 2nd ed. 1989. France, in a tradition dating from the 17th century. The famous silk laces were introduced in the 18th cent ...

'' (1993) – Showtime (Patrick Seymour, composer) – guitar *''

Parallel Lives * Culture of ancient Greece Culture of ancient Rome Ancient Greek biographical works Ethics literature History books about ancient Rome Cultural depictions of Gaius Marius Cultural depictions of Mark Antony Cultural depictions of Cicero ...

'' (1994) – Showtime (Patrick Seymour, composer) – guitar *'' Stonewall'' (1995) – (Michael Kamen, composer) – guitar *'' Orleans'' (1997) – CBS dramatic series (David Hamilton, composer) – guitar *''Tricks'' (1997) – Showtime (Patrick Seymour, composer, also includes original song by MK & Patrick Seymour) – guitar *'' Waco: The Rules of Engagement'' (1996, Academy Award Nominated) – (David Hamilton, composer) – guitar *''

Scrubs Scrub(s) may refer to: * Scrub, low shrub and grass characteristic of scrubland * Scrubs (clothing), worn by medical staff * ''Scrubs'' (TV series), an American television program * Scrubs (occupation), also called "scrub tech," "scrub nurse," ...

'' (2001) – NBC (Jan Stevens/MK co-composers) – guitar *''Fall of Night'' (2005) – MK original song "No Escape" – closing credit roll *''Asylum'' (2009) (David Hamilton, composer) – guitar *''Guitar Man'' (1015) – guitar on two songs on the soundtrack: "

All Along the Watchtower "All Along the Watchtower" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his eighth studio album, '' John Wesley Harding'' (1967). The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. The song's lyrics, which in its original v ...

" and "

Love in Vain "Love in Vain" (originally "Love in Vain Blues") is a blues song written by American musician Robert Johnson. Johnson's performancevocal accompanied by his finger-style acoustic guitar playinghas been described as "devastatingly bleak". He reco ...

References

External links

Mark Karan's official website

Ratdog's official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karan, Mark American rock guitarists American male guitarists 1955 births Living people Guitarists from San Francisco Singers from San Francisco RatDog members 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians