Mark Selby (musician)

Mark Selby
Background information
Birth nameMark Otis Selby
Born(1961-09-02)September 2, 1961
Enid, Oklahoma, U.S.
DiedSeptember 18, 2017(2017-09-18) (aged 56)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
GenresBlues rock
Occupation(s)Musician, singer-songwriter
InstrumentGuitar
Years active1990-2017
LabelsVanguard, ZYX

Mark Otis Selby (September 2, 1961 – September 18, 2017) was an American blues rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. Born in Enid, Oklahoma,[1] he was a solo artist, signed to ZYX Records in Europe, and one half of performing duo with his wife, songwriter Tia Sillers. He also played guitar in recording sessions for musical artists such as Kenny Rogers, Johnny Reid, Keni Thomas, Jimmy Hall, and Wynonna Judd.

Selby is perhaps best known for the number of songs that he co-wrote with the blues-rock artist Kenny Wayne Shepherd which includes the No. 1 single, "Blue on Black".[2] This song was also Billboard magazine rock track of the year in 1998. Selby also collaborated with Sillers on the No. 1 song, "There's Your Trouble"[3] and won the band their first Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1999.[4]

Selby released a number of solo albums over his career. The first two projects, More Storms Comin' and Dirt were on Vanguard Records. After signing with ZYX in Merenberg, Germany, he released his next album, Mark Otis Selby And The Horse He Rode In On. This all-acoustic release featured Selby's 1974 Mossman guitar and spurred a broad audience in Germany and Switzerland. His most recent project, Blue Highway, was released in 2013. He has worked with the Grammy winning record producer Brent Maher[5] on 5 of his projects.

In 2016, Selby was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall Of Fame.[6]

Besides the Mossman, he played a modified 1990s Fender Relic Nocaster, a Fender Rory Gallagher Fender Stratocaster, and a 1944 Gibson J-45. As for amplifiers, he described himself as "a Fender guy."[7]

Selby died on September 18, 2017, from cancer.[8]

  1. ^ Maher, Dianna. Mark Selby Biography, Nashville: Moraine Music Group, 2006.
  2. ^ Blue On Black #1 Archived 2017-07-20 at the Wayback Machine Rock, American & World Charts 1998
  3. ^ "Dixie Chicks". Grammy.com. November 19, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  4. ^ Paulson, Dave. "'There's Your Trouble' rang true for songwriters". The Tennessean.
  5. ^ "Brent Maher | Credits". AllMusic.
  6. ^ "Kansas Music Hall of Fame: News". Archived from the original on 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2017-11-03.
  7. ^ Heidt, John (December 2008). "Mark Selby, Triple-Crown Winner". Vintage Guitar Magazine. 23 (2): 28.
  8. ^ Journal, Salina (Kan ). "Songwriter Mark Selby dies of cancer". The Mercury.