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{{About other people|the bass musician|Mark King|Mark King (disambiguation)}}
{{Short description|British bassist and singer (born 1958)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{BLP sources|date=April 2008}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Mark King
| image = Mark King FFM13 001.jpg
| caption = King in 2013
| background = solo_singer
| birth_name = Mark Raymond King
| alias =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1958|10|20}}
| birth_place = [[Cowes]], Isle of Wight, England
| death_date =
| origin =
| instrument = {{hlist|Bass guitar|drums|percussion|vocals}}
| genre = {{hlist|[[Pop rock]]|[[jazz-funk]]|[[new wave music|new wave]]}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Musician|songwriter}}
| years_active = 1977–present
| associated_acts = [[Level 42]], [[M (band)|M]], [[Re-Flex]], [[Jakko Jakszyk]], [[Gizmodrome]], [[Leisure Process]]
| website =
}}
'''Mark Raymond King''' (born 20 October 1958) is an English musician. He is the lead singer and bassist of the [[jazz-funk]] band [[Level 42]]. King is known for his [[Slapping (music)|slap]] style of playing the bass guitar, with [[MusicRadar]] describing him as "the guy who put the slap in pop during the 80s".<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.musicradar.com/news/bass/10-of-the-greatest-slap-bass-players-you-need-to-hear-594757# | title= 10 of the greatest slap bass players you need to hear | work=MusicRadar | date=27 February 2014 | access-date=25 September 2017}}</ref> King received a [[BASCA]] Gold Badge Award in October 2015 in recognition of his contribution to British music.<ref>{{cite web|last=Awbi |first=Anita |url=https://www.m-magazine.co.uk/news/2015-gold-badge-award-recipients-revealed/ |title=2015 Gold Badge Award recipients revealed |website=M-magazine.co.uk |date=2015-09-16 |access-date=2020-05-08}}</ref> He won the "Outer Limits" award at the 2017 [[Prog (magazine)|Progressive Music Awards]].<ref>{{cite web | url= http://teamrock.com/news/2017-09-15/marillion-anathema-steve-hackett-among-progressive-music-award-winners | title= Marillion, Anathema, Steve Hackett among Progressive Music Award winners | work=teamrock.com | date=14 September 2017 | access-date=25 September 2017}}</ref>
==Early life==
King was born and brought up in [[Cowes]], [[Isle of Wight]], off the south coast of mainland England. His father, Raymond King, was a dairyman, and the family lived in a [[tied cottage|tied]] dairy house. King recalled in a 2006 newspaper interview,<ref name=iwcp>{{cite web|title=IW County Press|url=http://www.iwcp.co.uk/Features/Wight_Living/ACE_OF_BASS_FINDS_HIS_OWN_LEVEL.aspx |access-date=2009-01-03 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080607014546/http://www.iwcp.co.uk/Features/Wight_Living/ACE_OF_BASS_FINDS_HIS_OWN_LEVEL.aspx |archive-date = 7 June 2008}}</ref> "it was post-war, with one brass tap, an outside toilet and a zinc bath in front of the fire". He later lived on the [[HM Prison Camp Hill|Camp Hill]] and [[HM Prison Albany|Albany prison]] estates on the outskirts of [[Newport, Isle of Wight|Newport]]. He attended Kitbridge Middle School where he met his childhood sweetheart Tracey Wilson, later writing a song about her. He then went to [[Cowes High School]].
Originally, King began his musical career as a drummer (starting aged nine after his father bought him his first [[drum kit|kit]] for £10) and learning guitar aged 11.<ref name=iwcp/><ref name=dolbear>[http://www.mikedolbear.com/story.asp?storyID=3314 British Drum Icon - Interview with Phil Gould] @ Mikedolbear.com</ref> In 1974, when he was fifteen, King met his future Level 42 bandmate [[Phil Gould (musician)|Phil Gould]], who remembers the young King "came and sat in with the band that I formed, at one of the gigs we were doing. He brought his kit down and blew me off, blew me off the stage because he was so much faster than me". Gould also remembers the young King as being a budding multi-instrumentalist, a "really good guitarist" who would "play around with programming, synth stuff. He was one of those natural musicians."<ref name="dolbear" />
King received encouragement to pursue a career in music from his music teacher at middle school, but was asked to leave Cowes High School at the age of 17 when he came to school wearing [[jeans|denim jeans]]. King recalls in a magazine interview: "It didn't go down very well, and I was told my schooling had run its course." King then left home and stayed at a friend's house for two weeks, sleeping on the floor, before getting a job on a production line at a [[Ronson (company)|Ronson]] lighter factory. After quitting this job, King became a [[milkman]], but he was still determined to "prove [he] was not a failure". So, aged 19, King moved to London, along with his milk van, in hope of finding a career in music.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://asp-gb.secure-zone.net/v2/indexPop.jsp?id=58/112/2153&lng=en |title=EXTRA January 2011 |publisher=Asp-gb.secure-zone.net |access-date=2011-07-15}}</ref> He played drums for the band [[Re-Flex]] in their early years, before starting his career as a bass player.
== Career ==
=== Level 42 ===
[[Image:Level-42-mark-batman.jpg|thumb|King in Santa Clara, California, 1987]]
[[File:Mark King 1988 Tel Aviv Israel.jpeg|thumb|King performing in 1988]]
King moved to London at the age of 19, subsequently forming Level 42 in 1979 with Phil Gould, keyboard player [[Mike Lindup]] and Phil's guitarist brother [[Rowland Charles Gould|Boon]]. Although a drummer, King found himself having to learn bass after landing a job at Macari's, a musical instrument store. In an interview with the magazine ''Music U.K.'' (May 1984 issue), he states:
<blockquote>
I kept up playing drums until I moved to London. I'd always wanted to be a good drummer and it's just ironic that I've turned out to be a bass player. The way I started playing bass was that when I arrived in London I was looking for a job, and the only place I could find one was in Macaris in Charing Cross Rd. I wanted to get something involved in music, and that seemed like a good place to be. But Macaris didn't sell drums, and so I lied and said I could play bass. They said, "Fine, you sell the basses, and sweep up and get the coffees and whatever".
</blockquote>
Nevertheless, King's natural rhythmic intuition probably contributed to his distinctive bass playing style, along with the popularity of [[jazz-funk]] in Britain at the time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/entertainment/questionofpop/realmedia/markking_bass.ram |title=Question of Pop : Mark King soundbite |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |access-date=2014-06-28}}</ref>
At one of their first gigs, at the La Babalu club in [[Ryde]], Level 42 were spotted by Andy Sojka, the head of small independent [[record label]] Elite and signed them. The next year, they were signed to [[Polydor]] and King spent the next nine years [[sound recording and reproduction|recording]] and touring with the band. The first [[Top 40]] single, "[[Love Games (Level 42 song)|Love Games]]", was released in 1981, heralding the band's first appearance on ''[[Top of the Pops]]''. The big breakthrough came with the release of "[[The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up)]]" in 1983.
While in Level 42, King found his bass-playing services in some demand. He was invited by [[Nik Kershaw]] to play on his second album ''[[The Riddle (album)|The Riddle]]'' (1984) and by [[Midge Ure]] to play on his albums ''[[The Gift (Midge Ure album)|The Gift]]'' (1985) and ''[[Answers to Nothing]]'' (1988). He also performed on David Bowie's "Tumble And Twirl", from the [[Tonight (David Bowie album)|Tonight]] album.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bowiebible.com/songs/tumble-and-twirl/ | title=Tumble and Twirl | the Bowie Bible | date=18 May 2021 }}</ref>
Level 42 supported [[The Police (band)|The Police]] in 1981, followed by tours with [[Steve Winwood]] and [[Queen band|Queen]] in 1986 and [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]] in 1987.
Level 42 released the album ''[[Retroglide (album)|Retroglide]]'' in 2006 and a European tour followed.
Level 42 (line up: Mark King, Mike Lindup, Gary Husband, Nathan King, Sean Freeman) toured in autumn of 2008.
=== Solo work ===
In 1984, he released his first solo album ''[[Influences]]'', which was followed by ''[[One Man (Mark King album)|One Man]]'' in 1998.
In 1999, he issued a collection of unused songs in the form of the album ''Trash''; the name hinted at the rough, unpolished nature of the recordings (which were rejected by Virgin Records in favour of the tracks which would ultimately appear on the ''One Man'' album).
''Trash'' was a historic release as it was issued without a record company and initially offered to fans via a low-key guestbook entry, made by King, on www.level42.com. Using an Apple Mac, CD burner and inkjet printer, King manufactured the CD himself and posted it directly to fans, charging £17 plus postage. He hand signed and numbered early copies. Clearly not anticipating the popularity of the album, the initial CDs were numbered as part of a series of 100. King eventually sold over 1,000 copies.{{Cn|date=August 2024}}
In the years following ''Trash'', King repeated the successful 'home-made' formula releasing a string of live recordings including ''Live at the Jazz Cafe'', ''Live on the Isle of Wight'' and ''Live at Reading Concert Hall'' (which despite being performed as a Mark King solo show, was released under the name of Level 42 as King retained the rights to the name shortly before releasing the CD). Despite being contracted to Universal Music imprint W14, King continues to release live shows on his own Summerhouse Record label, of which 2007's ''Retroglide Live'' DVD was the first.
Since coming back into the limelight in 1998 with ''One Man'' and the supporting UK tour, King has toured consistently around Europe and as far east as Indonesia. With the exception of ''Trash'', he has only issued one new professionally released studio album in the eight-year period, September 2006's ''Retroglide'' under the Level 42 banner.
In 2016, King joined [[supergroup (music)|supergroup]] [[Gizmodrome]], also featuring [[Stewart Copeland]], [[Adrian Belew]] and [[Vittorio Cosma]]. The band released their [[Gizmodrome (album)|debut album]] in September 2017.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-09-16 |title=19 September Tuesday |work=[[Daily Mail]] |via=[[EBSCOhost]]}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=tabloid|date=July 2025}}
In 2019 King played and sang on [[Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders]] song "Queen of the Clowns" from the album ''Get the Money''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Thrills |first=Adrian |date=2019-11-08 |title=Foo Fighter goes solo... with a little help from his friends |work=[[Daily Mail]] |via=[[EBSCOhost]]}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=tabloid|date=July 2025}}
== Playing style ==
[[File:Mark King Kongsberg Jazzfestival 2017 (214451).jpg|thumb|King in 2017, playing bass with a slapping technique]]
King helped to develop and popularize the [[Slapping (music)|slap and pop]] style of playing the bass guitar in the 1980s. The slapping and popping style was developed in the 1970s by [[funk]] bassists such as [[Larry Graham]] and further developed by [[jazz fusion]] bassists such as [[Stanley Clarke]] and [[Marcus Miller]]. King developed a rapid playing speed using this technique, and introduced technical elements that enabled him to produce a mix of percussive effects while still playing a bass line.
One of King's greatest influences was the musician Tom Taylor, who gave King guitar lessons when King was 12.{{cn|date=November 2022}}
King's bass playing style is largely based on continuous 16th notes (aka semiquavers), sometimes described as "machine-gun" style.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I97xJYZC2lIC&q=%22mark+king%22+bass+%22machine-gun%22+style&pg=PA217 |title=The Bass Handbook |author=Adrian Ashton |year=2006 |page=217 |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |isbn=9780879308728 |access-date=2017-04-10}}</ref> This "machine-gun" style consists of playing rapidly using a combination of thumb slaps, pops, [[Hammer-on|hammer-ons]], and fretting hand slaps.
King also took part in a comedy skit titled "The Easy Guitar Book Sketch" with comedian [[Rowland Rivron]] and fellow British musicians [[Mark Knopfler]], [[Lemmy]] from [[Motörhead]], [[David Gilmour]] and [[Gary Moore]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parker |first=Matthew |date=2010-04-12 |title=Video: 'The Easy Guitar Book Sketch' featuring Knopfler, Gilmour, Lemmy and Moore |url=https://www.musicradar.com/totalguitar/video-the-easy-guitar-book-sketch-featuring-knopfler-gilmour-lemmy-and-moore-248397 |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=[[MusicRadar]]}}</ref>
== Instruments ==
{{Refimprove section|date=August 2024}}
King has used various models of bass guitar through the years; the two most commonly used brands have been [[Jaydee]] and [[Status Graphite]]. The Jaydees were built by John Diggins, a former employee of [[John Birch (luthier)|John Birch]]; ''Jaydee'' is phonetic for his initials, J.D. King also used a Pangborn Warlord bass, perhaps two, hand-built by luthier Ashley Pangborn, in the early 1980s.
King has used Status Graphite basses since the 1980s including the Series-2000 and Empathy models. In November 2000, Rob Green and King developed the Status KingBass, a headless, double cut-away bass with a woven graphite through-neck, Status Hyperactive pickups and active electronics.
Other known basses he has used are Alembics (specifically custom Series II models), of which there is a Signature Mark King model, Pangborn basses, a Zon bass. King's first fretless bass was a Japanese-made "Moon" Jazz-style bass. King also owned two Music Man Stingray basses, a [[Wal (bass)|Wal]] bass, which was fitted with an MB4 [[MIDI]] interface.
In 1996, King briefly used [[Fender Jazz Bass]]es. A limited run of 42 "Mark King" Jazz Basses were made, based on the [[Fender American Deluxe Series|American Deluxe]] series, built and set up to King's specifications.
King endorses [[RotoSound]] strings and uses their Funkmaster set (.30-.50-.70-.90) on his instruments.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rotosound.com/blog/portfolio-item/mark-king-funkmaster-advert/ | title=Mark King Funkmaster advert|website=Rotosound.com }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rotosound.com/blog/cool_timeline/the-funkmaster/ | title=The Funkmaster|website=Rotosound.com }}</ref>
==Personal life==
Just before his divorce from his wife Pia, King moved back to his native [[Isle of Wight]] in 1988. During the 1990s, King purchased a pub in [[Ryde]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/whats-on/it-s-great-to-be-with-you-on-home-turf-1-1257935|title=It's great to be with you on home turf|date=3 September 2010|website=Portsmouth.co.uk|access-date=2016-11-18}}</ref> King sold the pub in 2000<ref>{{cite web|title=Joe Daflo's Southampton|url=http://www.joedaflos.co.uk/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010401050738/http://www.joedaflos.co.uk/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=2001-04-01|access-date=2009-01-03}}</ref> King lives with his current wife Ria and youngest daughter.<ref name=":0" />
He is the elder brother of fellow Level 42 and [[Frost*]] member [[Nathan King (musician)|Nathan King]].{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}
=== Activism ===
King is a longstanding supporter of [[The Prince's Trust]]. On 20 June 1986, King and Lindup performed alongside stars such as [[Eric Clapton]], [[Rod Stewart]], [[Phil Collins]], [[Mark Knopfler]], [[Midge Ure]] and [[Elton John]], at The Prince's Trust All-Star Rock Concert at [[Wembley Arena]] to celebrate the first 10 years of the Trust; a recording was subsequently released on video.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/princes-trust-1986-birthday-party-mw0001204703|title=Prince's Trust: 1986 Birthday Party|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=7 August 2014}}</ref> He was also a performer at The Prince's Trust Rock Gala at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in November 2010 and 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11765976|title=Queen rock Prince's Trust charity gala|work=BBC News|date=18 November 2010|access-date=7 August 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/11/24/joss-stone-alison-moyet-boy-george-princes-trust_n_1111812.html|title=Joss Stone, Alison Moyet, Boy George Rock Prince's Trust Rock Gala At Royal Albert Hall|publisher=Huffington Post|date=24 November 2011|access-date=24 August 2014}}</ref>
King serves as a tourism 'ambassador' for his native Isle of Wight.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/daisy-becomes-tourism-ambassador-49461.aspx|title=Daisy becomes tourism ambassador|publisher=Isle of Wight County Press Online|date=20 May 2013|access-date=7 August 2014}}</ref>
==Discography==
[[Level 42 discography]]
===Albums===
* ''[[Influences]]'' (1984)
* ''[[One Man (Mark King album)|One Man]]'' (1998)
* ''Trash'' (1999 /DFP Music)
* ''Live at the Jazz Cafe'' (1999/DFP Music) (live)
* ''Live on the Isle of Wight'' (2000/DFP Music) (live)
* ''Live in Soho'' (2012) (live)
===Singles===
* "Freedom" (1982) as Thunderthumbs & The Toetsenman (Mark King/Mike Lindup)
* "I Feel Free" (1984)
* "Bitter Moon" (1998)
===DVDs===
* ''Mark King – Ohne Filter'' (1996) (live)
* ''Grupo Mark King – Live on the Isle of Wight'' (2000/DFP Music) (live)
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{cc}}
* [http://www.level42.com/ Official Level 42 website]
* [http://www.ultimatelevel42.com An exhaustive, illustrated Mark King discography]
* [http://www.forevernow.com/ Forevernow.com – Most complete and regularly updated Level 42 site]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050913083625/http://www.level42info.com/ level42info.com: Information and rumours website (English)]
* [http://www.level42dk.dk Level 42 DK – Large collection of Level 42 scans]
* {{Musicbrainz artist|id=13028f9d-9f5b-4023-b6ed-f8653861b5f1|name=Mark King}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080318200911/http://www.jaydeeguitars.com/html/mk.asp Details of Mark Kings Jaydee Basses]
* [http://www.status-graphite.com/ Status-Graphite Basses]
* [http://www.statii.com/ Status Bass user forum]
* {{Discogs artist|Mark King}}
{{Level 42}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Mark}}
[[Category:1958 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:English male guitarists]]
[[Category:British male bass guitarists]]
[[Category:English new wave musicians]]
[[Category:English male songwriters]]
[[Category:English male singers]]
[[Category:Level 42 members]]
[[Category:20th-century English bass guitarists]]
[[Category:21st-century English bass guitarists]]
[[Category:People from Cowes]]
[[Category:Musicians from the Isle of Wight]]
[[Category:Singers from London]]
[[Category:British male new wave singers]]
[[Category:20th-century British male musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century British male musicians]]
[[Category:Gizmodrome members]]
[[Category:Polydor Records artists]]
[[Category:RCA Records artists]]
[[Category:Virgin Records artists]]
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