Mr. B. (born Mark Lincoln Braun, 1957), is an American

boogie-woogie Boogie-woogie is a genre of blues music that became popular during the late 1920s, but already developed in African-American communities since the 1870s.Paul, Elliot, ''That Crazy American Music'' (1957), Chapter 10, p. 229. It was eventually ex ...

pianist.

Early life

Born in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Flint River (Michigan), Flint River northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the Central Michigan, Mid Michigan region. Flin ...

, United States, Mark Lincoln Braun was the youngest of the three children of Phil and Sally Braun. He became interested in the piano through recordings that his father had played and began studying under the likes of

Boogie Woogie Red Boogie Woogie Red (October 18, 1925 – July 2, 1992) was an American Detroit blues, boogie-woogie and jazz pianist, singer and songwriter. At different times he worked with Sonny Boy Williamson I, Washboard Willie, Baby Boy Warren, Lonnie John ...

and other famous area musicians. Between listening to records as well as the local musicians, and receiving one-on-one instructions from the local musicians, Braun's music career had begun. Mark began playing by listening and watching the local musicians perform at local venues and private lessons. Whilst immersing himself in the blues and boogie traditions and culture, Braun graduated from Flint Southwestern High School and was accepted into the prestigious

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. After completing three years towards a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in History degree, Braun decided to drop out and pursue a career in blues and boogie woogie style piano.

Career

He moved to

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

as a young adult, and learned to play

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

at age 15, but was converted to

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

and boogie by a

Jimmy Yancey James Edward Yancey (February 20, c. 1895 – September 17, 1951) was an American boogie-woogie pianist, composer, and lyricist. One reviewer described him as "one of the pioneers of this raucous, rapid-fire, eight-to-the-bar piano style". Bio ...

record his father gave him. Mr. B. is a dedicated blues piano revivalist,

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, re ...

tunes made famous by Yancey, as well as

Little Brother Montgomery Eurreal Wilford "Little Brother" Montgomery (April 18, 1906 – September 6, 1985) was an American jazz, boogie-woogie and blues pianist and singer. Largely self-taught, Montgomery was an important blues pianist with an original style. He was ...

Professor Longhair Henry Roeland Byrd (December 19, 1918 – January 30, 1980), better known as Professor Longhair or "Fess" for short, was an American singer and pianist who performed New Orleans blues. He was active in two distinct periods, first in the heyday o ...

Mercy Dee Walton Mercy Dee Walton (born Mercy Davis Walton, August 3, 1915 – December 2, 1962) was an American jump blues pianist, singer and songwriter, whose compositions went from blues to R&B numbers. According to journalist Tony Russell in his book ''The ...

Amos Milburn Joseph Amos Milburn (April 1, 1927 – January 3, 1980) was an American R&B singer and pianist, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. One commentator noted, "Milburn excelled at good-natured, upbeat romps about booze and partying, imbued with a ...

, and

Sunnyland Slim Albert Luandrew (September 5, 1906March 17, 1995), "Blues pianist and singer Sunnyland Slim was born Albert Luandrew in Vance, Mississippi, September 5, 1906 (most sources say 1907, but the Social Security Death Index and 1920 census data give t ...

, among others.

Discography

''My Sunday Best''

1994 - This is another trio date with Kurt Krahnke (bass) and Andy Conlin (drums). Also featured prominently is the drummer, Roy Brooks. "The changes in direction serve to literally amaze the listener, taking them through a range of moods and colors that are generally not experienced in such a setting. Truly, in Braun's hands, musical genres are bent into a pervasive whole, with no regard for anything but the purity of intention and the transference of joyous emotion … this is musical empathy at its best. This is not just a case of a local boy making good, this is a statement of a world class musician playing for his hometown fans." ''

Detroit Metro Times The ''Detroit Metro Times'' is a progressive alternative weekly newspaper located in Detroit, Michigan. It is the largest circulating weekly newspaper in the metro Detroit area. The ''Metro Times'' was an official sponsor of the now-defunct Det ...

'' Magazine. Recorded live at the Kerrytown Concert House in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

. Track listing: # "My Sunday Best" # "Deep Excavation" # "Little Brother" # "Swanee River Boogie" # "La Piragua" # "Blues for a Carpenter" # "Thunder & Lightning Boogie" # "When I Lost My Baby" # "New 44 Blues" # "

Roll 'Em Pete "Roll 'Em Pete" is a boogie-woogie song, originally recorded in December 1938 by singer Big Joe Turner and pianist Pete Johnson. The recording is regarded as one of the most important precursors of what later became known as rock and roll. "Rol ...

" # "Deep South Blues"

''Hallelujah Train''

Released on 3 September 1996 - Mr. B meets the Bird of Paradise Orchestra. Track Listing: # "Hallelujah Train" # "Brauny" # "One Room Country Shack" # "My Sunday Best" # "Little Brother" # " Down the Road Apiece" # "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" # "Air Mail Special" # "La Bailarina" # "Deep Excavation" # "B's Boogie Woogie"

''Mr. B Live''

Mr. B Live at the Kerrytown Concert House 2002 Track Listing: # "Pinetop's Boogies" # "

When the Saints Go Marching In "When the Saints Go Marching In", often referred to as simply "The Saints", is a traditional black spiritual. It originated as a Christian hymn, but is often played by jazz bands. One of the most famous jazz recordings of "The Saints" was made o ...

" # "

After Hours After Hours or Afterhours may refer to: Film and television * ''After Hours'' (film), a 1985 black comedy by Martin Scorsese * ''After Hours'' (Canadian TV series), a 1953 variety series * ''After Hours'' (1958 British TV series), a comedy s ...

" # "Jimmy's Stuff" # " Cow-Cow Blues" # "

Honky Tonk Train Blues "Honky Tonk Train Blues" is a song written by Meade Lux Lewis, and first recorded in 1927. A proto boogie-woogie song, it has many of the traits that would come to be identified with rock and roll. It is also the first recorded use of the term ...

" # " Sunny Side of the Street" # "Vicksburg Blues" # "Chicago Breakdown" # "

My Babe "My Babe" is a Chicago blues song and a List of blues standards, blues standard written by Willie Dixon for Little Walter. Released in 1955 on Checker Records, a subsidiary of Chess Records, the song was the only Dixon composition ever to become ...

" # "

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

''Cheek to Cheek''

For many years, Mr. B. has been visiting

for the annual art fair. Every year he brings his bike-transported upright piano to play on the

campus. His most famous act is the 'Cheek to Cheek Boogie' where two players boogie on a single piano, switching positions from time to time. Until recently, his only partner in this act was

Bob Seeley Robert Seeley (September 13, 1928 – October 15, 2024) was an American boogie woogie pianist. Biography Seeley was born in Detroit, Michigan, on September 13. 1928. He played piano at Charlie's Crab in Troy, Michigan, a northern suburb of Det ...

. Both Braun and Seeley performed at The Bloomington Blues & Boogie Woogie Piano Festival, in

Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city in Monroe County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. The population was 79,168 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-most populous city in Indiana and ...

, in 2017.

References

External links

Artist's websiteAnswers.com Mr. B pageMr. B. biography
at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

Mr. B hauling his piano across Michigan by bike, stopping at Summer Festival

AnnArbor.com ''AnnArbor.com'' was an online newspaper that covered local news of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the surrounding Washtenaw County. In 2013 ''AnnArbor.com'' was transitioned to MLive.com along with Advance Publications other Michigan newspapers and r ...

, July 10, 2010. {{Authority control 1957 births Living people Boogie-woogie pianists Musicians from Ann Arbor, Michigan Musicians from Flint, Michigan Oldie Blues artists University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni 20th-century American pianists American male pianists 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians