* En anglais uniquement
British session musicians
Jon Mark (vocals, guitar, drums) and
John Almond (vocals, woodwinds, vibes, percussion) met while playing together in
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and left in 1970 to form
Mark-Almond, sometimes referred to as the Mark-Almond Band. Prior to his career with
Mayall,
Mark and
Mick Jagger co-produced
Marianne Faithfull's early albums, with
Mark later writing material for her and touring with her. He also toured with folksinger
Alun Davies, and the two formed an ill-fated band called
Sweet Thursday.
Almond, meanwhile, had played in
Zoot Money's Big Roll Band,
the Alan Price Set, and Johnny Almond's Music Machine. Both joined
the Bluesbreakers in 1969 and appeared on the albums
Turning Point and
Empty Rooms; they left in 1970 and recruited bassist
Rodger Sutton and keyboardist
Tommy Eyre.
Mark-Almond built something of a following through touring, with their live shows often featuring lengthy instrumental jams. Their roster grew to seven members by 1973 before they disbanded that year.
Mark, despite losing a finger in an accident, recorded the solo album Songs for a Friend in 1975. He and
Almond reunited that year and released To the Heart in 1976; they got a deal with A&M in 1978 and released Other People's Rooms, but neither LP was successful and the duo broke up for good. ~ Steve Huey