Mark Gillespie (English singer)
Encyclopedia
Mark Gillespie, is a singer, songwriter
, currently living and touring in Germany
, where he has built himself a substantial fanbase, and has recently toured with Jethro Tull
, Meat Loaf
, Lisa Stansfield
, Fool's Garden and Chris De Burgh
.
town Göttingen
, where Peter Herrmann, who is the owner of a recording studio in Gießen
, saw him. Being quite impressed by him, he offered Gillespie to record a CD that he could sell in the pedestrian zones while busking. Gillespie, the first time ever being in such a studio sang his songs with some musicians he didn't know before (Peter Herrmann organized them). After the CD was done, it was sold very well and the people asked for a concert with the band. SO they decided to do a CD release Concert (with Mark Gillespie as singer and guitarist, Peter Herrmann as bassist, Markus Leukel as drummer and Thomas Dill as Lead-guitarist). As the audience and the band were that enthusiastic, they decided to give another concert and finally to form a band, the Mark Gillespie Band.
Fans of the band especially appreciate Gillespie's humor, spontaneity and talent for improvisation.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, currently living and touring in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where he has built himself a substantial fanbase, and has recently toured with Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
, Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
, Lisa Stansfield
Lisa Stansfield
Lisa Stansfield is an English singer and songwriter.-Early years:Stansfield was born to Marion and Keith Stansfield in Heywood, Lancashire, in England, where she attended Redbrook School, Rochdale. Her first television appearance was on a talent programme in the Granada TV area in 1982...
, Fool's Garden and Chris De Burgh
Chris de Burgh
Chris de Burgh is a British/Irish singer-songwriter. He is most famous for his 1986 love song "The Lady in Red".-Early life:...
.
How it began
Mark Gillespie and his friend Jonathan Mansfield went to Mile End school in stockport "where they were the only ones being heterosexual" (like Gillespie said in the "Supersonic Wednesday DVD). The teachers always told them that it would be very helpful to gain experience of life if they wanted to become successful actors. To gain experience of life they decided to hitch-hike through europe, which they financed by busking. They named the new formed band "The Blue Jars" and toured through countries like Belgium, Germany, Norway, Sweden or finally Israel, where Mansfield stayed. After Gillespie came back from Israel he mainly toured in Germany and one day he was busking in the Lower SaxonianLower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
town Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
, where Peter Herrmann, who is the owner of a recording studio in Gießen
Gießen
Gießen, also spelt Giessen is a town in the German federal state of Hesse, capital of both the district of Gießen and the administrative region of Gießen...
, saw him. Being quite impressed by him, he offered Gillespie to record a CD that he could sell in the pedestrian zones while busking. Gillespie, the first time ever being in such a studio sang his songs with some musicians he didn't know before (Peter Herrmann organized them). After the CD was done, it was sold very well and the people asked for a concert with the band. SO they decided to do a CD release Concert (with Mark Gillespie as singer and guitarist, Peter Herrmann as bassist, Markus Leukel as drummer and Thomas Dill as Lead-guitarist). As the audience and the band were that enthusiastic, they decided to give another concert and finally to form a band, the Mark Gillespie Band.
The Mark Gillespie Band today
Today the members of the Band are Gillespie, Herrmann, Leukel, Oliver Jäger (Keyboards), Gerd Stein (electric guitar), who replaced Dill (Dill left the band in the February of 2008), and Thomas Drost (flute), whom he got to know during a street music festival and with whom he also gives "duo"-gigs. Sometimes there are also some guest musicians playing for the band, for example José Cortijo ("Percussion and all kinds of strange things"), Miriam Pfaff and Tess Wiley (Backing Vocals).Fans of the band especially appreciate Gillespie's humor, spontaneity and talent for improvisation.