Mark Wills
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Mark Wills (born Daryl Mark Williams; August 8, 1973) is an American
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
artist. Signed to
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...
between 1996 and 2003, he released five studio albums for the label – '' Mark Wills'', '' Wish You Were Here'', ''
Permanently ''Permanently'' is the third studio album by American country music singer Mark Wills. Released in 2000 on Mercury Nashville Records, the album produced three singles on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart: "Back at One", " ...
'', '' Loving Every Minute'', and '' And the Crowd Goes Wild'' – as well as a greatest hits package. In that same timespan, he charted sixteen singles on the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' country charts, all of which made the top 40. After leaving Mercury in 2003, he signed to Equity Music Group and charted three more singles. Two of these were later included on his sixth studio album, '' Familiar Stranger'', which was released on the Tenacity label in 2008. Of his albums, ''Wish You Were Here'' is the best-selling, with a platinum certification from the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
. This album's
title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...
and the late 2002-early 2003 release " 19 Somethin'" both reached No. 1; on the
Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...
charts. Besides these, six more of his singles have reached top 10 on the chart: his debut single "
Jacob's Ladder Jacob's Ladder () is a ladder or staircase leading to Heaven that was featured in a dream the Biblical Patriarch Jacob had during his flight from his brother Esau in the Book of Genesis (chapter 28). The significance of the dream has been de ...
", " Places I've Never Been", " I Do (Cherish You)", " Don't Laugh at Me", " She's in Love", and a
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of
Brian McKnight Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr. (born Brian Kelly McKnight; June 5, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, radio personality, and multi-instrumentalist. An Contemporary R&B, R&B performer, he is recognized for his strong ...
's " Back at One". Two songs originally recorded by Wills, " Somebody" and " What Hurts the Most", were later hit singles for Reba McEntire, Jo O'Meara,
Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American Country music, country music band formed in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background voc ...
, and
Cascada Cascada (, Spanish language, Spanish, 'Waterfall'), is a German dance music act founded in 2004 by singer Natalie Horler and DJs/composers/ producers DJ Manian and DJ Yanou. They functioned as a trio from 2004 to 2021, with their last track ...
respectively. On December 21, 2018, Wills was invited to become the 218th member of the
Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...
. He was inducted on January 11, 2019.


Early life

Wills was born in Blue Ridge, Georgia.


Career

In his teenaged years, Wills played in garage bands, taking inspiration from rock groups such as
Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...
. During his young adulthood, however, he began to take an interest in country music. He entered a local talent contest in
Marietta, Georgia Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth largest ...
, at age 17, and after winning the contest, he began to perform locally. From there, he went to work as a demo singer in
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, before doing the same in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
. While in Nashville, he was discovered by record producers Carson Chamberlain and Keith Stegall, who helped him sign to a recording contract with Mercury Records Nashville. Wills's self-titled debut album was released in 1996 under the production of Chamberlain and Stegall. Its lead-off single, "
Jacob's Ladder Jacob's Ladder () is a ladder or staircase leading to Heaven that was featured in a dream the Biblical Patriarch Jacob had during his flight from his brother Esau in the Book of Genesis (chapter 28). The significance of the dream has been de ...
", went to number six on the country charts. "High Low and in Between", the
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
to "Jacob's Ladder", was the next single, reaching number 33. Finishing off the single releases was the number-five " Places I've Never Been". Despite the success of its first and third singles, the album did not sell well, and it peaked at number 38 on the country albums charts. '' Wish You Were Here'', Wills's second album, was his most commercially successful, earning a platinum certification from the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
. The lead-off single " I Do (Cherish You)" and its follow-up, " Don't Laugh at Me", both reached number two on the country charts, with the former bringing him to the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for the first time. Following the pair of number two-peaking songs was the album's
title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...
. Co-written by Bill Anderson, Skip Ewing, and Debbie Moore, it became Wills's first number-one country hit in 1999. Later that year, the boy band 98 Degrees covered "I Do (Cherish You)" on their album '' 98 Degrees and Rising''. Following "Wish You Were Here" was " She's in Love", the final single from ''Wish You Were Here'', which peaked at number seven. In 1998, Wills received an
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...
award for Top New Male Vocalist.


2000–2003

In 2000, he voiced the character of Huckleberry Finn in MGM's animated remake of '' Tom Sawyer'', Wills's only film role to date. Also for the film, Wills and Lee Ann Womack, who plays the singing voice of Becky in the film, sing the end title song "Never Ever and Forever" as a duet. Wills's eighth chart entry was a cover of R&B singer
Brian McKnight Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr. (born Brian Kelly McKnight; June 5, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, radio personality, and multi-instrumentalist. An Contemporary R&B, R&B performer, he is recognized for his strong ...
's 1998 hit single " Back at One". This cover was a top-five country hit for Wills in early 2000 and the first single from his third album, ''
Permanently ''Permanently'' is the third studio album by American country music singer Mark Wills. Released in 2000 on Mercury Nashville Records, the album produced three singles on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart: "Back at One", " ...
''. This album was Wills's highest entry on the country albums charts, peaking at number three. Following "Back at One" was another R&B cover, this time of
Brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...
's 1999 single " Almost Doesn't Count". This cover reached the top 20, and was followed by "I Want to Know (Everything There Is to Know About You)", which reached number 33. ''Permanently'' was certified gold by the RIAA. Unlike his previous albums, this album was produced entirely by Carson Chamberlain, as Stegall had left Mercury in 2000. '' Loving Every Minute'' was the title of Wills's fourth studio album and its lead-off single. This song, co-written by Michael White, only peaked at number 18, however, and the album's other single – the Jamie O'Neal duet "I'm Not Gonna Do Anything Without You", which was also on O'Neal's debut album '' Shiver'' – reached number 31. Also included on this album was the song " Somebody", which later became a number-one hit in 2004 when Reba McEntire recorded it for her 2003 album '' Room to Breathe''. Wills's biggest chart hit, " 19 Somethin'", was released in late 2002. It topped the country charts in early 2003, and stayed at number one for six weeks. The song was also his highest Hot 100 entry, peaking at number 23. This song was the first of two newly recorded songs on his 2003 greatest hits album, which reprised all of his chart singles to that point except "High Low and in Between" and "I Want to Know (Everything There Is to Know About You)". The other new song on this album, "When You Think of Me", was a number-28 country hit in early 2003. Wills produced these two new tracks with Chris Lindsey. '' And the Crowd Goes Wild'', his fifth studio album, came later in 2003. This was his first full studio album, which he co-produced, again doing so with Chris Lindsey. Although the album itself peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums chart, its two singles only made the middle and lower top-40 regions on the Hot Country Songs chart. Its Jeffrey Steele-penned
country rock Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...
and country rap-generated title track was the lead-off single, reaching number 29 on the country charts. Following it was "That's a Woman", which stopped at number 40. Like his previous studio release, this album included a song that later became a number-one hit for another artist: " What Hurts the Most", which was a number-one country and adult contemporary hit for the group
Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American Country music, country music band formed in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background voc ...
when they covered it on their 2006 album '' Me and My Gang''. This song was also a single for Jo O'Meara in 2005 and
Cascada Cascada (, Spanish language, Spanish, 'Waterfall'), is a German dance music act founded in 2004 by singer Natalie Horler and DJs/composers/ producers DJ Manian and DJ Yanou. They functioned as a trio from 2004 to 2021, with their last track ...
in 2007. Wills's own rendition was a minor hit on the Hot Digital Songs charts in 2006. Also included on ''And the Crowd Goes Wild'' was a cover of
Ronnie Milsap Ronnie Lee Milsap (born Ronald Lee Millsaps; January 16, 1943) is an American country music singer and pianist. He was one of country music's most popular and influential performers of the 1970s and 1980s. Nearly completely blind from birth, h ...
's hit " Prisoner of the Highway", recorded as a duet with Milsap.


2006–present

Due to the poor performance of ''And the Crowd Goes Wild'', Wills left Mercury in 2004. In 2004, Wills also recorded a cover of Elvin Bishop's " Fooled Around and Fell in Love" for the
southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. History 1950s and 1960s: origin ...
tribute album ''Southern Rock Country Style''. He did not record again until country singer Clint Black signed him to his Equity Music Group label in 2006. Wills's first release for the label was "Hank", which peaked at number 49 and was never included on an album. His first album for the label, titled '' Familiar Stranger'', was originally slated for release in September 2007, and was repeatedly pushed back due to the poor chart performance of "Take It All Out on Me" and "Days of Thunder." Tenacity Records then acquired the album and released it in 2008, issuing "The Things We Forget" as its third single. After this song came "Entertaining Angels", co-written by Willie Mack. In late 2009, he released then a fifth single, "Crazy White Boy", written by Brett James and Blair Daly. Wills released the compilation album ''2nd Time Around'' in July 2009, which comprises re-recordings of several Mercury singles. Wills released a new single in January 2011 called "Looking for America", written by Bernie Nelson, Philip Douglas, and Jeremy Bussey. It served as the title track to his 2011 album of the same name, released June 21, 2011, from Big Red Records and Tenacity Records. He was invited by Vince Gill to become the 218th member of the
Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...
on December 21, 2018, and was inducted on January 11, 2019


Personal life

In 1996, Wills married his wife, Kelly, whom he met at Atlanta's music club, Buckboard. They have two daughters. In November 2010, Wills was hospitalized for surgery after his large intestine ruptured. He was told that had he waited any longer to seek medical help, he would have died.


Discography

*1996: '' Mark Wills'' *1998: '' Wish You Were Here'' *2000: ''
Permanently ''Permanently'' is the third studio album by American country music singer Mark Wills. Released in 2000 on Mercury Nashville Records, the album produced three singles on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart: "Back at One", " ...
'' *2001: '' Loving Every Minute'' *2003: '' And the Crowd Goes Wild'' *2008: '' Familiar Stranger'' *2011: ''Looking for America''


Awards and nominations


Academy of Country Music Awards

, - , rowspan=2,
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
, Mark Wills , Top New Male Vocalist , , - , " Don't Laugh at Me" , Song of the Year , , - ,
2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...
, " 19 Somethin'" , Single Record of the Year ,


Country Music Association Awards

, - , rowspan=2,
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
, rowspan=2, " Don't Laugh at Me" , Single of the Year , , - , Video of the Year ,


Filmography


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wills, Mark 1973 births American country singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters Living people Singer-songwriters from Tennessee People from Cleveland, Tennessee Equity Music Group artists Mercury Records artists People from Blue Ridge, Georgia 21st-century American singer-songwriters Country musicians from Tennessee Country musicians from Georgia (U.S. state) 21st-century American male singers Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state)