Biography

Marc Black is an eclectic folk-rocker who deals with life, and all its social and political challenges…one song at a time. Noted for his “timeless songs, deep grooves and excellent playing”, Marc was inducted into the New York Chapter of the Blues Hall of Fame in June of 2014.

He’s performed and recorded with many luminaries including Art Garfunkel and Rick Danko, Richie Havens and Taj Mahal. Levon Helm also invited Marc to play one of the Midnight Rambles. Marc was recently named Folk Artist of the Year on ABC Radio, a winner at the Kerrville Folk Festival and he was chosen to perform with Pete Seeger at the Folk Music Hall of Fame fundraiser last November. As legendary folk artist, Happy Traum, put it, ‘Marc is a master…spreading the joy of music with story and song’.



Marc’s song subjects range from his love for Rachel Maddow, good coffee and just about everything in between. His fingerstyle blues is reminiscent of Mississippi John Hurt and Lightnin’ Hopkins. And his recent CD, Pictures of the Highway, reached #6 on the Folk DJ Chart.

Marc spends most of his time on the road— playing festivals, clubs, arts centers, libraries and house concerts. He was named Folk Artist of the Year on ABC Radio’s Fame Games and was a finalist in the prestigious Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition. Sometime a Spark, his song about Mohamed Bouazizi and the Arab Spring, caused an international stir that led to an interview on Tunisian State Radio.

He recently completed a duet CD entitled Champions of Love with piano great, Warren Bernhardt. (http://www.warrenbernhardt.com/).

While still in high school, his band, the Blades of Grass, reached the top forty and performed along side the biggest acts of the day including the Doors, Van Morrison and Neil Diamond. He has since recorded more than a dozen CDs including one ‘pick hit’ in Billboard Magazine and another that was recognized as a ‘minor masterpiece’ by famed music producer John Hammond Sr.

In the 1980s, Marc won the American Library Association Award for Best Children’s Album for producing American Children, a collaboration with such talented artists as Richie Havens, Taj Mahal and Maria Muldaur. ASCAP has featured Marc in performance at the Sundance Film Festival and several of his Youtube videos have been viewed more than 50,000 times!

Over the past couple of years, he’s occasionally turned to a more topical songwriting style. One tune, No Fracking Way – recorded with John Sebastian and Eric Weissberg (of “Dueling Banjos” fame), and some 100 Woodstock, NY citizens — has been sung at rallies as far away as South Africa, Ireland and Australia.