"...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
- 2020: #2 album on Billboard Blues Album chart (2020 release "Deep Dark Demon")
- 2019: IBC semi-finalist
- 2016: album "Blues Heaven" reached number 6 on the Billboard Blues chart, remained in the charts for 5 weeks.
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.
Telluride Blues and Brews
King Biscuit Blues Festival
Mississippi Valley Blues Fest
Dallas International Guitar Show
Tremblant International Blues Festival
Anglesea Blues Festival
Durango Blues Train
Chenango Blues Festival
Lone Star Bike Rally
Ohio State Fair
Houston International Festival
Buddy Guy's Legends
Rhythm On The River
Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier
House Of Blues Chicago
House Of Blues Houston
Prairie Dog Blues Festival
Riverfront Blues Festival
Opening act for the Allman Brothers 1997 Amphitheater Tour