To describe some artist’s music with one word would be easy but to do that with Mark May’s music would be impossible. But there’s one thing for sure, it’s all dripping with his rich love for the blues.
It all started with a musical family with his older brother Ken teaching him guitar and introducing Mark to such artist as the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix. Mark also has a lot of country music background with his mother and uncle being country/bluegrass singers and songwriters. The former Dickey Betts and Great Southern guitarist and vocalist found the blues when his aunt lent him a copy of B.B. King’s “Live in Cook County Jail” when he was just 11 years old. He took to it and ran.
Mark was named "Musician of the Year" by the Houston Press in 1999,
Mark has released six CDs and is currently working on a seventh album. He gets heavy rotation on Sirius/XM and Sonic Tap radio. He's also been featured in Blues Review, Guitar Player, Guitar World, Vintage Guitar, Tone Quest and other major publications.
TESTIMONIALS
...Mark May is a shredder, a full-grown he-man ax-mangler."
WILLIAM MICHAEL SMITH, TEXAN MONTHLY MAGAZINE
"When I heard the first CD - Call on the Blues - I was blown away! Mark is one of the best blues-rock artists to come along in years. With great singing, songwriting and guitar playing, he reminds me of everyone from Albert Collins to Stevie Ray to Carlos Santana. Hell, I even heard a couple of my licks in there!”
DICKEY BETTS
“Let’s agree that if Dickey Betts calls you out to be his right hand man, you must be doing something right.”
RIVERHORSE THE TONEQUEST REPORT
Mark May's gutsy tone, feisty pull-off licks and ground-glass vocals invite comparison to any number of Texas bluesmen. But the twin guitar leads, wah rhythm spanks, and occasional burst of fusionesque melodic complexity that pepper his second release - Telephone Road - make May something much more than just another traditionalist."
GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE
ACCOLADES AND AWARDS
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2020: #2 album on Billboard Blues Album chart (2020 release "Deep Dark Demon")
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2019: IBC semi-finalist
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2016: album "Blues Heaven" reached number 6 on the Billboard Blues chart, remained in the charts for 5 weeks