Mark Wills

Mark Wills
Wills performing at the Military Child Education Coalition conference in Atlanta on June 29, 2005.
Wills performing at the Military Child Education Coalition conference in Atlanta on
June 29, 2005.
Background information
Birth nameDaryl Mark Williams[1][2]
Born (1973-08-08) August 8, 1973 (age 51)[2]
Blue Ridge, Georgia, U.S.[2]
OriginBlue Ridge, Georgia, U.S.
GenresCountry
OccupationSinger-songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active1996–present
LabelsMercury Nashville,
Equity Music Group,
Tenacity, Big Red
Websitemarkwills.com

Mark Wills (born Daryl Mark Williams; August 8, 1973)[3] is an American country music artist. Signed to Mercury Records between 1996 and 2003, he released five studio albums for the label – Mark Wills, Wish You Were Here, Permanently, Loving Every Minute, and And the Crowd Goes Wild – as well as a greatest hits package. In that same timespan, he charted sixteen singles on the Billboard country charts, all of which made the top 40. After leaving Mercury in 2003, he signed to Equity Music Group and charted three more singles. Two of these were later included on his sixth studio album, Familiar Stranger, which was released on the Tenacity label in 2008.

Of his albums, Wish You Were Here is the best-selling, with a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. This album's title track and the late 2002-early 2003 release "19 Somethin'" both reached No. 1; on the Hot Country Songs charts. Besides these, six more of his singles have reached top 10 on the chart: his debut single "Jacob's Ladder", "Places I've Never Been", "I Do (Cherish You)", "Don't Laugh at Me", "She's in Love", and a cover version of Brian McKnight's "Back at One". Two songs originally recorded by Wills, "Somebody" and "What Hurts the Most", were later hit singles for Reba McEntire, Jo O'Meara, Rascal Flatts, and Cascada respectively.

On December 21, 2018, Wills was invited to become the 218th member of the Grand Ole Opry. He was inducted on January 11, 2019.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference whitburn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Mark Wills Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved December 24, 2010.
  3. ^ "Songwriter/Composer: Wills, Mark; Current Affiliation: GEMA CAE/IPI #: 247006588". BMI.
  4. ^ "Wills Invited To Join The Opry, Capps Celebrates 60". Nashville.com. December 23, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2018.