Mark OâConnor
Advertisement
Advertisement
Top Related Artists
Biography
Born in Mountlake Terrace, Washington on August 5, 1961, Mark OâConnor is one of bluegrass and country musicâs most influential instrumental voicesâa musician who helped redefine what fiddleâdriven country could sound like across the late 20th century and beyond. Raised on traditional American string music, he absorbed oldâtime fiddle tunes, Texas swing, bluegrass, and Nashville country at a young age. He won several competitions and performed with many artists before making his Grand Ole Opry debut in 1973. He then became the youngest artist to sign a record deal with Rounder Records. Mark OâConnor released several albums on Rounder including National Junior Fiddling Champion (1974), Pickinâ in the Wind (1976), Markology (1978), On the Rampage (1979) and Soppinâ the Gravy (1979) before graduating from Mountlake Terrace High School in 1979. Still in his teens, replaced Tony Rice in the David Grisman Quintet and continued to dazzle critics and perform with other bands like The Dregs, whose hit 1982 album Industry Standard was another critical success. As a solo artist, he had his commercial country breakthrough with the 1991 album The New Nashville Cats. He had several more charting albums including Heroes (1993), The Fiddle Concerto (1994), Liberty! (1997), Hot Swing! (2001), and An Appalachian Christmas (2011). Two of his best-selling albums were collaborations with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and stand-up bassist Edgar Meyer: Appalachia Waltz (1996) and Appalachian Journey (2000), both of which reached number 1 on the Billboard Classical Albums chart. Mark OâConnor has continued to celebrate American roots music through touring projects, band collaborations, and educational efforts that emphasize traditional styles and original expression.
Read All
Read Less
Albums
Top Tracks
- Track Popularity
- The Devil Comes Back to Georgia
- Blacktop Boy by Mark OâConnor
- Gold Rush
- Always Do by O'Connor Band
- The Sweet Ones by O'Connor Band
- Ruby, Are You Mad At Your Man? by O'Connor Band
- I Haven't Said I Love You In A While by O'Connor Band
- Jerusalem Ridge by O'Connor Band
- Fishers Hornpipe by O'Connor Band
- The Fiddle Concerto For Violin And Orchestra I
- Quartet For Violin, Viola, Cello And Doublebass IV featuring Marin Alsop
- Berserkely
- Fisher's Hornpipe featuring Edgar Meyer
- Cotton Patch Rag
- Midnight On The Water
- Pickin In The Wind
- Blackberry Blossom
- Herman's Rag
- Goodbye Waltz
- Poem for Carlita featuring Yo-Yo Ma
- Dixie Hoedown
- Daybreak In Dixie
- Lonesome Fiddle Blues
- Tammy's Waltz
