Mark Leadon

Recent: Mark has been performing extensively (over 100 performances in 2007) in the north Florida region, primarily solo, mainly in the Tallahassee and Gainesville areas. He also has a new set of original songs which he has been recording for his 3rd CD and will continue his busy performing schedule in 2008.
Some History: Mark Leadon was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota; grew up in San Diego, California and later, Gainesville, Florida where Mark went to high school and then college at the University of Florida. His older brothers Bernie Leadon and Tom Leadon were primary musical influences and taught Mark to play guitar and banjo.
Bernie played bluegrass music in San Diego, in rock 'n roll bands in Gainesville, and then moved to L.A. where he played and recorded with numerous bands including Dillard & Clark, Linda Ronstadt, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and as an original member of the Eagles. Tom played with Tom Petty and Mike Campbell in a Gainesville band called Mudcrutch, then played with Johnny Rivers, Linda Ronstadt, Silver, and others in L.A.
Mark began playing and recording with bands in Gainesville. After he finished college, he moved to Tallahassee to do engineering work and spent most of his free time playing music in country-rock and bluegrass bands and writing songs.
He released his first CD of original songs, mark leadon blue & lonesome in 2001 featuring bluegrass band Blue & Lonesome. Mark released his second solo CD of original music, Borderlines, in April 2004. Borderlines features Mark on guitar, banjo, dobro, bass and vocals on tracks mixing bluegrass, country, rock, and blues influences. Bernie, Tom, and sister Monica appear on the CD as well as several other guest musicians. The CD was mixed and mastered in Nashville by Grammy-winning engineer Bert Battaglia (Bela Fleck, others).
Following almost 10 years playing straight-ahead bluegrass with Blue and Lonesome, Mark played country-rock/roots etc. with Mountain Road, and briefly with the Recliners, for about 5 years. Over the past 3 years, Mark has performed extensively as a solo artist mixing folk-bluegrass-blues-country-rock originals and covers, as well as, played a number of shows and concerts of exclusively original songs with sister Monica Cooper and supporting band in north Florida and south Georgia.