3 minute read
Mark Durham
by Brant Fricker
What do Roger Miller, Wolfman Jack, the Eagles and Amarillo all have in common?
The answer is legendary local musician Mark Durham. With a life story that reads like a musician’s version of Forrest Gump, Durham’s life has been interwoven with rock-n-roll and country music history as a professional bass player, guitarist and songwriter. He has played with Tanya Tucker, Dorsey Burnette, Billy Burnette, Bo Diddley, Vince Gill, Wolfman Jack, Juice Newton, Marty Stuart, Shelby Lynne and Roger Miller. His band Blue Steel was the opening act for the Eagles’ Long Run Tour.
Like Forrest Gump, Mark Durham’s story seems beyond belief, but in this case it’s actually true. Born in the same small town as hitmakers Sheb Wooley and Roger Miller, Durham made his mark in Erick, Oklahoma, playing with his local band, The Committee. A young Durham would be told by Roger Miller to keep practicing; an older Durham would be asked by Roger Miller to join his band. Mark’s talent for playing the trombone in high school earned him a scholarship to college where he formed his band the In Men. Their first trip to Los Angeles served as a crash course in the dark side of the music business. In one trip they encountered colorful gigs, a gun-toting client with Mafia ties and a roadside dinner of Vienna sausages and crackers before returning home to Oklahoma, with a part of Mark’s heart remaining in California. Even after earning a Business Degree and landing a good job in Oklahoma City, Mark still dreamed of being a musician. When asked to play bass for band Road Runner, Mark wasted no time. “I gave my two minute notice and off I went making three times the money,” Mark recalls. Before long, Mark returned to the Golden State with a new band called Buckwheat and signed with a London record label. “We made a great record and got a lot of airplay,” says Mark. Buckwheat would also play the “Midnight Special” with legendary DJ Wolfman Jack. One day the band’s managers made a shocking announcement. “We thought we were getting ready to do a string of club dates.They came in one day and said that plans have changed. We’re going to be doing the Long Run Tour with the Eagles. We flipped,” smiles Mark. “We went from rehearsing and recording to playing to crowds of 30,000 to 40,000 people!” Before every show the Eagles would gather for their famous “Circle of Fear” with seven-part harmonies. “I still get chills just thinking about it,” remembers Mark. Like many of his fellow musicians, Durham’s life took many twists and turns, ups and down, through dark paths and finally into the light. He and wife Linda made Amarillo their home in 2001, and in 2002 they started a night club on 6th street called Durham’s. “We learned how to make a small fortune. You start with a large one,” laughs Mark. Out of Durham’s Thursday night blues jam, Durham created the Texas Blues Rangers whose music can be heard on Spotify. With all of the bands Mark has created and all the amazing people he’s played with, from Los Angeles to Nashville and everywhere in between, Mark enjoys a crowd of any size right down to a hungry soul in a nursing home. “I’ve held that golden ring, and it was amazing,” Mark says with a grateful smile. There’s much on the horizon for the music and ministry of Mark Durham. With a youthful spark in his eye Mark adds, “I look forward to getting back out there.”
