Mark's musical interest was sparked on February 9, 1964, when he and millions of other people first saw the Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. Over the next four years, Mark taught himself how to play guitar, drums and many other instruments. He began writing his own songs and was soon auditioning for local bands. His first gig was in August of 1968 and he played regularly in Northshore bands until 1981.
In that year Mark joined Limbo Race, one of Boston's premier New Wave bands. Limbo Race won WBCN's Rock 'n Roll Rumble of 1982, which led to much critical acclaim including a live feature on MTV. The band played many Boston clubs including The Paradise and The Channel, and opened shows for REM, Echo And The Bunnymen, Mission Of Burma and The Thompson Twins. Gigs in New York City included shows at CBGB'S and Danceteria.
After Limbo Race dissolved, Mark began splitting time between performing and songwriting. On Mark's original recordings, he plays drums, guitar, bass and keyboards as well as doing all the vocals. He's secured several publishing contracts and his songs have been recorded by many other artists.
Mark's tributes to John Lennon and Roy Orbison began in the early 90's. He plays his John Lennon show solo and as part of the Beatle tribute band HELP!.
He performs his eerily accurate Roy Orbison tribute as a solo with tracks, as well as with full band. Mark's tribute shows have taken him to Houston, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Nashville. More locally, Mark has played Boston's City Hall Plaza, the Hard Rock Cafe, and The Hatch Memorial Shell, opening for such acts as Three Dog Night, The Drifters, Tommy Roe, Danny and The Juniors, Roy Clark, and Charlie Daniels. for more info and his full performance schedule at http://www.markpoulin.net.
