Mark Hudson
Encyclopedia
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and songwriter
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...
based in both Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. After first rising to prominence as a performer, songwriter and TV personality in the 1970s as a member of the Hudson Brothers
Hudson Brothers
The Hudson Brothers are an American music group formed in Portland, Oregon in the 1970s and consisting of Bill Hudson, Brett Hudson and Mark Hudson...
trio, Hudson achieved independent success as record producer and songwriter - working with a broad variety of artists including Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
, Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, Scorpions
Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...
, Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
, Hanson
Hanson (band)
Hanson are an American pop rock band formed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by brothers Isaac , Taylor , and Zac Hanson . They are best known for the 1997 hit song "MMMBop" from their major label debut album Middle of Nowhere, which earned three Grammy nominations...
, Harry Nilsson
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. On all but his earliest recordings he is credited as Nilsson...
, and the Baha Men
Baha Men
The Baha Men are Bahamian singers in a Bahamian band. They play a modernised style of Bahamian music called Junkanoo.-Early career as High Voltage :...
.
With Aerosmith
Hudson co-wrote the Grammy award-winning AerosmithAerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
hit "Livin' on the Edge
Livin' on the Edge
"Livin' on the Edge" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. The song was written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Mark Hudson. It was released in 1993 as the first single from the band's commercially successful album Get a Grip...
" in 1993, and has since co-written a total of 12 Aerosmith songs. He co-produced their 2001 album Just Push Play
Just Push Play
Just Push Play is the 13th studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on March 9, 2001. The album was co-produced by song collaborators Marti Frederiksen and Mark Hudson....
, co-writing six of the album's twelve songs. Hudson, along with Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
, Joe Perry
Joe Perry (musician)
Anthony Joseph "Joe" Perry is the lead guitarist, backing and occasional lead vocalist, and contributing songwriter for the rock band Aerosmith. He is influenced by many rock artists especially The Rolling Stones and The Beatles...
and Marti Frederiksen
Marti Frederiksen
Martin Harold Frederiksen is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. He writes and produces music primarily in rock, country, and pop...
, make up what has become known as the "Boneyard Boys", the informal collective of songwriters, musicians and producers responsible for Aerosmith's creative process.
With Ringo Starr
For ten years starting in 1998, Hudson was the primary driving force as producer and composer behind the revival of Ringo Starr as a recording artist.Hudson produced or co-produced nine albums for Starr. There were five critically acclaimed studio albums: Vertical Man
Vertical Man
Vertical Man is Ringo Starr's 11th studio album, issued in 1998. The release represents Starr's attempt at a comeback following the enormous success of The Beatles Anthology project...
(1998), I Wanna Be Santa Claus
I Wanna Be Santa Claus
I Wanna Be Santa Claus is a Christmas album by Ringo Starr, issued in 1999. Not only is it Starr's first long-play Christmas release, it is the first by an ex-Beatle, although John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison had each released a seasonal single in the 1970s.Recorded throughout 1999...
(1999), Ringo Rama
Ringo Rama
Ringo Rama is Ringo Starr's 12th studio album and was released in 2003. As the follow-up to 1998's Vertical Man, it continues Starr's alliance with Mark Hudson as well as most of his collaborators from that last project...
(2003), Choose Love
Choose Love
Choose Love is the 13th studio album by Ringo Starr, released in 2005. Recorded throughout 2004 into 2005, the album received strong reviews upon its release and preceded another promotional tour with Starr and his studio band, called "The Roundheads"....
(2005) and Liverpool 8
Liverpool 8
Liverpool 8 is the 14th studio album by Ringo Starr. It was released worldwide on 14 January 2008 to mixed reviews and marks Starr's return to EMI for the first time since leaving the label in 1975, following the end of The Beatles' recording contract with the company...
(2008). Three live albums were also released during this relationship: VH1 Storytellers
VH1 Storytellers (Ringo Starr album)
VH1 Storytellers is a live album by Ringo Starr recorded and released for the popular music program in 1998. Unlike his previous live recordings, this release places Starr in an intimate environment where—as per the show's requirement—he tells the genesis of the songs being performed.Recorded a...
(1998), Ringo Starr and Friends
Ringo Starr and Friends
Ringo Starr and Friends is a 2006 live album by rock musician and ex-Beatle Ringo Starr, following his 2005-2006 successful tour. The album features the tracks from the All-Starr Band's 2001 tour. Ringo Starr and Friends is a 2006 live album by rock musician and ex-Beatle Ringo Starr, following...
(2006) and Ringo Starr: Live at Soundstage
Ringo Starr: Live at Soundstage
Ringo Starr: Live at Soundstage is a 2007 live album by rock musician and ex-Beatle Ringo Starr. It was recorded at the Genessee Theatre in Waukegan, Illinois on June 24, 2005 as part of the PBS concert series "Soundstage"....
(2007). The ninth album - a compilation album Ringo 5.1: The Surround Sound Collection
Ringo 5.1: The Surround Sound Collection
Ringo 5.1: The Surround Sound Collection is a DVD-Audio compilation by Ringo Starr. The tracks featured are from his albums Ringo Rama and Choose Love.-Disc: 1:#Fading in and Fading Out#Never Without You#Choose Love#Imagine Me There...
- included remixes of thirteen tracks originally produced by Hudson and Starr. It was nominated for Best Surround Sound Album in the 51st annual Grammy Awards for the year 2007-2008.
The nine albums co-produced by Hudson featured a total of 82 different songs. 17 of the 82 songs were cover versions of various classics and oldies. The other 65 songs were specially-composed new songs. Underscoring the primacy of his role in the creation of the albums, Hudson was credited as co-writer of 64 of the 65 new songs.
Hudson secured Steven Tyler as guest vocalist on a remake of Dobie Gray
Dobie Gray
Dobie Gray is an African American singer and songwriter, whose musical career has spanned soul, country, pop and musical theater...
's song "Drift Away
Drift Away
"Drift Away" is a song written by Mentor Williams and originally recorded by John Henry Kurtz on his 1972 album Reunion. In 1973 the song became Dobie Gray's biggest hit, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, though it did not enter the charts in the United Kingdom.This song is also a...
" for the album Vertical Man. Shortly prior to release, Tyler's record label demanded that his vocal be removed, and he was replaced by Tom Petty
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
on the officially-released album. However, the version of the recording featuring Tyler had been circulated on advance promotional discs and found its way on to bootlegs.
In 2003, Starr told the professional audio industry magazine Mix
Mix (magazine)
Mix magazine is a periodical billing itself as "the world's leading magazine for the professional recording and sound production technology industry". The magazine is distributed in 94 countries....
: “Mark puts the fun back in recording. We always have such a great time. He lets the musician know that anything is possible... He's a great musician, has lots of energy and he's a lot of fun to work with.”
In June 2007, Starr's attorney, Bruce Grakal, told Beatlefan magazine (issue #141) that the partnership between Hudson and Starr was over, and that they would not work together again. Grakal claimed that the split occurred because Hudson had asked to withdraw from appearing in one of Starr's concert tours - allegedly on short notice. Hudson had been offered a major role on a network TV show The One: Making a Music Star
The One: Making a Music Star
The One: Making a Music Star was an American reality television series that aired in July 2006 on ABC in the United States, and CBC Television in Canada. The show was hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos, known to Canadian viewers as the host of CBC's The Hour...
which conflicted with the Starr tour. Hudson said in an interview with Beatlefan magazine that withdrawing from the 2006 All-Starr band tour was not the primary reason for the split and cited Starr's preference for using more synthesized sounds for his next album.
Prior to the split with Starr, Hudson had co-written and recorded all 12 songs heard on the final version of the Liverpool 8 album. After the split, Starr had the tracks remixed by Dave Stewart
David A. Stewart
David Allan Stewart , often known as Dave Stewart, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with Eurythmics. He is usually credited as David A. Stewart, to avoid confusion with other musicians named "Dave Stewart".-Early life:Stewart was born in Sunderland,...
who was credited as "re-producer." The album was released in January 2008 on EMI/Capitol Records as part of Starr's new recording deal, having left Koch Records in late 2006.
In 2003, Hudson formed a jointly-owned record company with Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
called Pumkinhead Records intended to release recordings by other artists. Distribution for the label was set up via EMI. The label released an album titled Fake Songs
Fake Songs
Fake Songs is an album created by Liam Lynch. It was released in 2003, and it features his best-known song "United States of Whatever", which was released as a single in 2002.- Background :...
by Liam Lynch
Liam Lynch (musician)
Liam Lynch is a musician, puppeteer, writer and director. He co-created, co-wrote, played the music for, directed, and produced MTV's Sifl and Olly Show....
, the creator of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's sock-puppet show Sifl and Olly
Sifl and Olly
The Sifl and Olly Show is a comedy TV series that used sock puppets, animation, and music. Musicians Liam Lynch and Matt Crocco, friends since childhood, created and performed the series. The first episode aired on MTV in 1997. The show was cancelled in 1999...
.
Producer of multi-star charity single of Tears In Heaven
In 2005, Hudson produced a new, multi-artist recording of Eric ClaptonEric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
's 1993 song Tears In Heaven
Tears in Heaven
"Tears in Heaven" is a ballad written by Eric Clapton and Will Jennings about the pain and loss Clapton felt following the death of his four-year-old son, Conor. Conor fell from a window of the 53rd-floor New York apartment of his mother's friend on March 20, 1991. Clapton, who arrived at the...
as a charity single for victims of the Japanese tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. Funds raised from the project, which was initiated by Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Rachel Osbourne is an English television host, author, music manager, businesswoman and promoter as well as the wife of heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne....
, went to the Save the Children
Save the Children
Save the Children is an internationally active non-governmental organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries...
charity. Hudson recorded the song in the UK, US and in Europe. Among musicians that Hudson and Osbourne recruited for the recording were: Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
, Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
, Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
, Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
, Gavin Rossdale
Gavin Rossdale
Gavin McGregor Rossdale is an English musician, known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Bush as well as an actor. Following Bush's separation in 2002, which lasted for eight years, he was the lead singer and guitarist for Institute, and later began a solo career. He...
, Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani is the lead vocalist for the rock and ska band No Doubt. Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was inspired by music of the 1980s, and was a success with sales of over...
, Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
, Pink, Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Michelle Lee Osbourne is an English media personality, television personality, host, judge, fashion designer, singer, and actress, best known for being the daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne...
, Katie Melua
Katie Melua
Ketevan "Katie" Melua is a British-Georgian singer, songwriter and musician. She moved to Northern Ireland at the age of eight and then to England at fourteen. Melua is signed to the small Dramatico record label, under the management of composer Mike Batt, and made her musical debut in 2003...
, Josh Groban
Josh Groban
Joshua Winslow "Josh" Groban is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His four solo albums have been certified at least multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in that country...
, Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli, is an Italian tenor, multi-instrumentalist and classical crossover artist. Born with poor eyesight, he became blind at the age of twelve following a soccer accident....
and members of Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver is an American hard rock supergroup consisting of former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum, alongside Dave Kushner formerly of punk band Wasted Youth. Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland was Velvet Revolver's lead singer from their formation until...
: Slash, Duff McKagan
Duff McKagan
Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan is an American musician and writer. He is best known for his twelve-year tenure as the bassist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
, Matt Sorum
Matt Sorum
Matthew William Sorum is an American rock drummer and percussionist. Sorum is most famous for his 7-year stint in Guns N' Roses and supergroup Velvet Revolver , which is comprised in part of former Guns N' Roses members Duff McKagan and Slash .-Early career :Matt Sorum was born Matthew William...
, Dave Kushner
Dave Kushner
David "Dave" Kushner is an American musician perhaps best known as the rhythm guitarist for the hard rock supergroup Velvet Revolver...
and Scott Weiland
Scott Weiland
Scott Weiland is an American musician, lyricist, and vocalist, most notable for his work with Grammy Award-winning rock band Stone Temple Pilots. Weiland is also known for his five-year career with supergroup Velvet Revolver as well as his own solo career...
. The recording also featured actor Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr.
Robert John Downey, Jr. is an American actor. Downey made his screen debut in 1970 at the age of five when he appeared in his father's film Pound, and has worked consistently in film and television ever since. During the 1980s he had roles in a series of coming of age films associated with the...
Other work
In 1985, he co-starred with Geena Davis in the TV show SaraSara (US TV series)
Sara is a short-lived American sitcom that aired on NBC in 1985. Starring Geena Davis in the title role, the series featured early performances from several actors who went on to greater acclaim, including Alfre Woodard, Bronson Pinchot and Bill Maher...
, playing her next-door neighbor Stuart Webber. Hudson also worked closely with Phil Ramone
Phil Ramone
Phil Ramone is a South-African violinist, composer, recording engineer, and record producer.-Biography:As a young child in South Africa, Ramone was a musical prodigy, beginning to play the violin at age three and performing for Queen Elizabeth II at age ten...
and sang background vocals on many albums/songs produced by Ramone, such as "Crazy for You
Crazy for You (song)
"Crazy for You" is a song by American singer Madonna for the 1985 film Vision Quest. It was released on March 2, 1985, by Geffen Records as the first single from the soundtrack album of the film, and later included on the ballads compilation Something to Remember...
" by Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
.
In 1986, he was the in-house bandleader on Fox's short-lived The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers
The Late Show (1986 TV series)
The Late Show is an American late-night talk show and the first series broadcast on the then-new Fox Network. Originally hosted by comic actress Joan Rivers, it first aired on October 9, 1986 under the title The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers...
. Ms. Rivers referred to the band as, "Mark Hudson, The Party Boys and The Tramp."
In July 1994, he joined Disney's Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote...
as a songwriter and producer for performers such as Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
and Aerosmith. Disney brought him on board to sharpen production, and identify new acts.
In 2004, he was recruited by Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Rachel Osbourne is an English television host, author, music manager, businesswoman and promoter as well as the wife of heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne....
to join her team as vocal coach for the UK TV show The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
. Nicknamed "Weird Beard" because of his colourful facial hair and flamboyant clothing, he coached all the under-25s in the first series and the over-25s in the second.
He has also written numerous tracks on Bon Jovi's 2004 box set, 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong.
On 5 March 2006, he achieved his first Number 1 in the UK Top 40 singles chart with an original song he had written for Chico Slimani
Chico Slimani
Yousseph "Chico" Slimani is a Welsh born singer of Moroccan descent who rose to prominence in the United Kingdom after reaching the quarter-finals of the 2005 series of the talent show The X Factor. In 2006, he had a number 1 hit on the British charts entitled "It's Chico Time"...
, X Factor contestant. Called "Chico Time", it displaced Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
from the top of the chart. It has sold over 100,000 copies in the UK.
The X Factor: Battle of the Stars
The X Factor: Battle of the Stars
The X Factor: Battle of the Stars was a UK celebrity special edition of The X Factor, which screened on ITV, started on 29 May 2006 and lasting for eight consecutive nights...
was screened in the UK during the week of 29 May 2006. Hudson was recruited to reprise his coaching role, this time with celebrities who performed in a week long once-a-night version of the show, raising money for their chosen charity. The show was won by Lucy Benjamin
Lucy Benjamin
-Career:Born Lucy Jane Baker in Reading, Berkshire, England, she took the stage name of Benjamin after her brother. Benjamin trained at the Redroofs Theatre School in Maidenhead. Her first acting role was as a child actor in Doctor Who in 1983 playing a young version of the character Nyssa...
, actress; runner up was Matt Stevens, England Rugby International. The British public voted for their favourites as Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Rachel Osbourne is an English television host, author, music manager, businesswoman and promoter as well as the wife of heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne....
, Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
, and Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
sat in judgment.
At Hudson's request, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
made a guest appearance on Keith Anderson
Keith Anderson
Keith Anderson is an American country music artist. Before signing to a record deal, Anderson was one of several co-writers on "Beer Run ", a duet by Garth Brooks and George Jones, released in late 2001. Anderson was signed as a recording artist to Arista Nashville in 2004...
's July 2006 single called "Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll", the title track from his debut album. The single was remixed by Hudson in Nashville, and Tyler's vocal added at Hudson's studio in Los Angeles.
In 2006, Hudson again assumed his coaching role on the 3rd series of The X Factor, this time coaching all the acts on a weekly basis.
In early 2007, Hudson was invited to participate for the third year running at Canadian Music Week
Canadian Music Week
Canadian Music Week is an industry conference and music festival held over four days in various venues throughout Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-History:...
(CMW). The CMW is the most prestigious event on Canada's music industry calendar, showcasing over 500 bands across 40 venues and inviting industry experts to share their knowledge at seminars. Hudson's seminar panel included fellow songwriting associates, Nile Rodgers
Nile Rodgers
Nile Gregory Rodgers is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist.-Biography:...
, Glen Ballard
Glen Ballard
Glen Ballard is an American songwriter and record producer, best known for co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill , which won Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album", and "Album of the Year" amongst others, and is ranked by the Rolling Stone amongst The 500 Greatest Albums of...
, and Don Was
Don Was
Don Was is an American musician, bassist and record producer.-Life and career:Was was born in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Oak Park High School in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, then attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor but dropped out after the first year...
. He also took the stage for an evening performance "in-the-round" at the CMW Songwriter's Festival 2007.
In the tabloid newspaper The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
, dated 14 May 2007, it was reported that Hudson would not continue as vocal coach for the following series of The X Factor. According to the tabloid report, which did not cite any sources, the alleged reason for the dismissal was comments Hudson made on the show about the winner Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....
not having the 'it' factor
The It Factor
The It Factor is a reality television show that aired on the Bravo network. It followed actors trying to lead successful careers.The show lasted for two seasons. The first season profiled actors in New York City and the second season profiled actors in Los Angeles...
needed to connect with an audience. The paper claimed that these comments angered Simon Cowell.
For the week of July 19, 2007, Hudson was the stand-in DJ on BIG100.3, a Washington, D.C.-based radio station.
On Sunday October 28, 2007, Hudson made his professional solo stage debut in a sold-out, one-man show called "Livin' On The Edge" at Puck, Doylestown, PA. During the show, Hudson conveyed his experiences with rock music's elite using humorous anecdotes, impersonations, and music.
In 2007, he participated as a counselor at both the New York and Las Vegas 10th Anniversary "Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp
Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp
Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp is an interactive musical event that takes place in various cities throughout the United States, London, England, and the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. The events range from 3 to 6 days. Attendees play, write and record music in a recording studio alongside famous...
", and, in 2008, at the Los Angeles camp. The camps are an opportunity for non-professional music enthusiasts to perform with professional musicians.
Hudson is currently selling prints of his original artwork as well as a range of other merchandise.
Hudson has been working with Alexander James McLean, a member of former boy-band the Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys...
, on AJ's first solo album. Hudson has also written songs with JC Chasez of 'N Sync
'N Sync
N Sync was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich, *NSYNC consisted of JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick...
.
On April 13, 2008, Mark was asked to perform for US President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
at a fundraising rally supporting Hillary Clinton's nomination campaign. The performance took place at Puck, Doylestown, PA.
In March 2009, he presented a soft launch of his first solo album, titled The Artist, at The Fest for Beatles Fans convention in New Jersey, where he also previewed music videos for the songs "Happy" and "All The Tea In China", the latter of which also featured his brother Brett Hudson
Brett Hudson
Brett Hudson musician, singer/songwriter, possibly best known as the youngest of the 1970s group the Hudson Brothers, is now a TV producer and writer living in Malibu, California. Hudson formed the production company Frozen Pictures with Burt Kearns...
.
Personal life
Hudson was married to British dancer Wendy Gotelee. Gotelee and Hudson had one child - singer/songwriter Sarah HudsonSarah Hudson (singer)
Sarah Hudson is an American pop singer-songwriter, and creator of the club-pop music project Ultraviolet Sound. She is the daughter of record producer and 1970s television personality-pop singer Mark Hudson.-Early life:...
. Hudson's elder brother Bill Hudson fathered two children during his marriage to actress Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, film director, producer, and occasional singer. Hawn is known for her roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Private Benjamin, Foul Play, Overboard, Bird on a Wire, Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club, and Cactus Flower, for which she won the 1969...
, making Mark Hudson the uncle of actress Kate Hudson
Kate Hudson
Kate Garry Hudson is an American actress. She came to prominence in 2001 after winning a Golden Globe and receiving several nominations, including a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her role in Almost Famous. She then starred in the hit film How to Lose a Guy in 10...
and actor Oliver Hudson
Oliver Hudson
Oliver Rutledge Hudson is an American actor. He is the son of Goldie Hawn and Bill Hudson, and brother of Kate Hudson...
. He has also been romantically linked to singer/actress Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
.
Controversy
According to a story published in the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, in March 1995, Hudson was dismissed from his job at Walt Disney Corp.
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
because of unproven allegations by female employees that he had engaged in sexual harassment. This story was repeated in an issue of Seconds magazine, a trade publication focusing on rock 'n' roll culture. An anti-Disney tract published by conservative publishers Regnery Publishing
Regnery Publishing
Regnery Publishing in Washington, D.C., is a publisher which specializes in conservative books characterized on their website as "contrary to those of 'mainstream' publishers in New York." Since 1993, Regnery Publishing has been a division of Eagle Publishing, which also owns the weekly magazine...
, Disney: The Mouse Betrayed, cited unproven allegations against Hudson by child actress-turned singer Danielle Brisebois
Danielle Brisebois
Danielle Anne Brisebois is an American actress, producer, songwriter and singer. In the 1990s she recorded two solo albums, Arrive All Over You and Portable Life, and was a member of the New Radicals...
as evidence of the author's contention that Disney was morally corrupt. None of the allegations referenced in the news stories or the anti-Disney book were under oath or penalty of perjury. No civil or criminal charges of any kind relating to any of the allegations were ever filed against Hudson by any individual or company.