Mark Andes
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Mark Andes is an American rock and roll musician, known for his work as a bassist with Spirit, Firefall and Heart. He was born February 19, 1948, in Philadelphia.
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[edit] Early years
Mark grew up in Los Angeles, one of two sons of Broadway, film, and television actor Keith Andes. As a teenager, he was an early member of Canned Heat, but left before the band was signed.
[edit] Spirit & Jo Jo Gunne
Mark Andes was a founding member of the band Spirit. He played bass on their first four albums and on some subsequent reunion albums. During a bout with the flu, Mark co-wrote one of Spirit's first singles, "Mechanical World," with fellow Spirit member Jay Ferguson.
Spirit was noted for its hybrid sound of rock and jazz styles. The group released groundbreaking works such as Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus (1970), that would be critically lauded later on, but commercial success largely eluded them at the time.
When the original line-up of Spirit broke-up in 1971, Jay Ferguson and Mark formed the band Jo Jo Gunne. He recruited his brother, Matt Andes, to play guitar. Mark only recorded one album with Jo Jo Gunne before semi-retiring from music around 1972. During his stay, the band had a Top 40 hit with the song "Run, Run, Run."
When Jo Jo Gunne reformed for a new CD and gigs in 2004, Mark was included in the line-up.
[edit] Firefall
Looking for a change of scenery, Mark had moved to Boulder, Colorado. In 1975, he was recruited by former Flying Burrito Brothers vocalist Rick Roberts and former Byrds drummer Michael Clarke (musician) to form the country-rock band Firefall. For the next six years, Mark would be in a band that had a string of hit singles, including the Top 10 hit, "You Are the Woman." During the early 1980s, Mark also collaborated briefly with future Yes guitarist Trevor Rabin and future Quiet Riot drummer Frank Banali.
[edit] Heart
Following a move back to California, and some session work, Mark joined a struggling line-up of Heart. He appeared on their final album for Sony Records, Passionworks (1983), and remained with the band until 1993. During this time, Heart found mainstream success, with several number one singles, and a number one album, Heart (1985). After a decade with Heart, Mark returned to session work.
[edit] Austin, Texas
Mark currently lives in Austin and plays with Ian McLagan and the Bump Band, Alejandro Escovedo, Jo Carol Pierce, and Three Balls of Fire.
