Mark Bedford
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Mark Bedford (born Mark William Bedford, 24 August 1961, London), nicknamed 'Bedders', is a bass guitarist and youngest member of the British second wave ska band, Madness.
Bedford attended William Ellis School in Kentish Town and met with members of the North London Invaders when they played a gig there. He was asked along to a band rehearsal and found that the older lads could play quite well. Bedford was friends with Gary Dovey who was playing drums with the band, but after a scuffle with sax player Lee Thompson, Dovey left the band. Bedford knew a drummer, and Daniel Woodgate (or 'Woody') was introduced as the final member of then six-piece strong band.
Although not a major songwriting force within the band, Bedford wrote one of the band's more emotive songs "One Better Day" with lead singer Suggs. He was also responsible for co-writing "Not Home Today", "Disappear", "Return of the Los Palmas 7", "Deceives the Eye", "Stepping into Line" and "Maybe in Another Life". The only song he ever wrote entirely on his own was "Mummy's Boy" on the band's debut album One Step Beyond....
After Madness split up for the first time in 1986, Bedford played bass (with Woody on the drums) with the Voice of the Beehive and in 1991 played bass on Morrissey's second studio album "Kill Uncle".
He later teamed up with ex-Higsons brass supremo Terry Edwards, and they formed Butterfield 8 along with various strong members of the jazz scene at the time. They released a single "Watermelon Man" and an album called Blow!. This was re-released in 2001 on the Sartorial Records label.
Bedford is now a graphic designer and has his own print shop/design business on Cheshire Street in East London. Although he had a break from playing with the band between 1993-96 (he was replaced for most appearances by Norman Watt-Roy, bassist with Ian Dury and the Blockheads), he is now back with the band and has also played on the new albums Wonderful (1999) and The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1 (2005). He also played on the latest single "Sorry". Bedford is currently working on a new album with Madness.
He lives near Stoke Newington in London, and has two daughters; Alice and Olivia.
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