ArtistInfo

Mark Schatz

eb, b, *1955 US
Musician of Country

Mark Schatz (born April 23, 1955) Mark Schatz was born April 23, 1955 into a musical family. He began his formal musical training with cello at age ten and later switched over to string bass. His first performance was in 1971 on electric bass in a high school rock band. Inspired by a love for folk and traditional music, he started to play the guitar and mandolin.From 1973 to 1978 Mark got his Degree in Music Theory and Composition from Haverford College, studied for a year at Berklee College of Music in Boston, picked up the old-time banjo, and went to his first old-time fiddle festival in Fiddler's Grove, North Carolina. He also started to learn to clog, inspired by his work with Mandala, a Boston based folk dance group. In 1977 he met Bela Fleck which led to a fruitful association including working together in Tasty Licks, Spectrum, and many recording projects including Drive and Tales from the Acoustic Planet, Volume II, The Bluegrass Sessions". He is a two time International Bluegrass Music Association Bass Player of the Year award winner.

Instruments

• Bass guitar
• Bass
• Banjo
• Vocals
• Backing Vocals

Genres

• Country
• Folk
• World

Plays With