Discography

To Purchase An Autographed Harmonica Played by Mark Please go to: http://www.goldharmonicas.com   Mark Sallings  Temporary Life                           Buy Temporary Life Click Here Now!  11 Point Publishing, 2005 I first met Mark Sallings at B.B. King's club in Memphis in the early 90's where he was playing with the Famous Unknowns. The first thing that caught my ear was his outstanding phasing on the harp. A combination of styles but marked with his unique signature. On this CD Sallings is backed by Ray Sanders (bass), Ray Beadle (guitar), and Bill Marshall (drums), Ray Reach (keyboards) and they are as in the pocket as any band recording. Front man Sallings dazzles with his harp work on the opening cut Folly Beach Boogie. Handling all harp, vocals and sax duties, Sallings excels at all endeavors. You can add songwriter to that list also as Sallings wrote eight of the ten cuts here. As accomplished on the sax as on the harp, Rocket Ranch Groove showcases that ability as Sallings and guitarist Beadle trade licks over Reach's B-3. This CD is full of radio friendly cuts and hooks that will have anybody and everybody tapping some body part while listening. Mark needs a wider distribution so more people can enjoy the solid grooves of his music. (©) 2005, Tim Richards-All Rights Reserved BluesSource.com       Mark Sallings and the Famous Unknowns:    LET IT BE KNOWN       by George Graham (Vent Records 30007 As broadcast on WVIA-FM 4/24/96)   A harmonica specialist who also plays sax and keyboards, Sallings grew up in the Mississippi delta and started playing music in local clubs at age 13. By age 15 he formed his first group called The Beale Street Blues Band. By 1989, Sallings was leading his current quartet he calls the Famous Unknowns, which became the house band when B.B. King opened his blues club on Beale Street in Memphis. For two and a half years, The Famous Unknowns held forth at B.B. King's accompanying all manner of blues greats who passed through.   Sallings is a fine harmonica player whose main influences are the Chicago harp men like Little Walter and Charlie Musselwhite. Sallings sings in a tenor voice sometimes reminiscent of John Mayall, while the music he plays ranges from all-out Chicago-style boogies and shuffles to more laid back jazzy slow blues along with a couple of tracks with a more funky beat. Most of the music is original material, but the album also includes a couple of old standards. In keeping with the musical values of the blues, the music is simple and direct in form, but achieves its greatness through quality of the performance. Sallings and company can sometimes be a bit understated, but their playing is marked by a high level of class.        In addition to Sallings and the remarkably steady drummer Lukenbaugh, the Famous Unknowns include guitarist Tony Spinner, a subtle, almost laconic player whose philosophy in soloing seems to be "less is more." He plays with an especially pleasing clean electric guitar tone. The bassist is another solid, tasteful player, Jerry Bone. They are occasionally joined by organist Ray Reach.     Let It Be Known has all the required ingredients of a good blues album in terms of the mix of tempos and lyrical moods. There are also three outstanding instrumentals, two of which are at the beginning of the album. This is George Graham.  (c) Copyright 1996 George D. Graham. All rights reseved. To Purchase Click Here!   http://www.amazon.com     Up Close and Personal Release Date 1993-Out of Stock Label: Indie Recorded at Three Alarm Studios Produced and Engineered by Legendary Jim Dickinson Mark Sallings & the Famous Unknowns, Talkin' to Myself (Vent, 1997)    (Temporarily Out of Stock) Check out http://www.amazon.com  to search for previously purchased CDs! This CD leaps out of the traps with a breathtaking first track. "Rocket 88" is a well-titled traditional piece. Its driving beat and sensational harmonica playing will lift your spirits on the blackest day. Mark Sallings & the Famous Unknowns was the house band at B.B. King's Club in Memphis for four years in the early 1990s, and that experience shows in the professionalism displayed on this CD. In fact, some of the tracks reflect on that period in their existence. Have a listen to "Trash Talkin'," which was written by Sallings, to get that club atmosphere. Like all good blues albums, women and traveling are well represented. I particularly enjoyed "Selfish With My Time." If you get tired of lyrics and just want the music to sweep you away, give a listen to "Critter." I will be the first to admit that jazz and blues do not usually grab me, but this CD proves to be the exception. If you feel the need to be way down in Memphis without leaving your living room, give Talkin' To Myself a try. [ by Nicky Rossiter ] http://www.rambles.net Copyright Nicky Rossiter 2002   Buy it from Amazon.com. Ruby Wilson On Sale Now! Ruby Wilson's latest CD: Show You a Good Time is on Sale NOW! Relased in 2005 with an All Star Cast of Performers, including Mark Sallings on Harmonica! To read more about Ruby Wilson, go to:http://www.regmemphis.com/index.cfm?page=entertainerSub&entID=4 To purchase click below: http://www.bestprices.com/cgi-bin/vlink/600385155922.html?id=tKWnuujo Review: Living Blues (p.63) - "Her bravura chops and obvious emotional commitment are on display throughout this CD.   On Sale Now! Jungle Jim and The Voodoo Tigers "Hot on the heels of Fishing with Charlie and Other Selected Readings, his deeply mystical series of spoken word readings of various heroes of vernacular culture, comes Jim Dickinson the hoodoo music man on Jungle Jim and the Voodoo Tigers [...]" Mark Sallings appears on this CD on the song "Can't Beat the Kid!" To Purchase Click Below: http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?z=y&EAN=823862001523   Photo Courtesy of audiophiles.com  http://www.vinyl records.biz/CoonElderBandFeaturingBrendaPatterson.htm Artist: Coon Elder Band Featuring Brenda Patterson Title: Coon Elder Band Featuring Brenda Patterson Genre: Country-Roots Rock Type: LP Label: Mercury Date 1977 Mark Sallings at the young age of 25 years, was the band leader for the Coon Elder Band Feautering Brenda Patterson. The album was released on Mercury Records in 1977. Although short lived, the band made it to the cover of Billboard Magazine!