Kenneth Michael Marks (November 6, 1950 – October 31, 2018) was an American Christian singer. Growing up in Detroit, Michigan, Marks is the son of Yugoslavian immigrants (Marks is an Anglicized, shortened form of Mrakovitch). Marks studied classical piano and played guitar at age thirteen. He graduated from
Messiah College in Philadelphia in 1971 and immediately went to work singing at crusades for Billy Graham with his Afterglow Concert Series.
In 1981, Marks first recorded appearance was on a various artists album titled Premier Performance on Myrrh Records with two songs on each side. A year later, Marks released his debut album Follow Him. Right Where You Are was released in 1984. It was on this album that Marks began to find his own definitive style as an artist and wanting to sing about relationships.
Marks also started to record songs about a fictitious couple named Johnny and Jeannie. They were introduced as separate, single people in the track "Growing Up Too Fast" (from Right Where You Are) where they are dealing with emotions and impulses. They meet at a party on the track "The Party's Over" (from 1985's Attitude). They get together in the back seat of Johnny's car and resulted in a
pregnancy which robs them of their carefree teenage lifestyle. The next song "Next Time You See Johnny" (from 1989's Another Friday Night) deals with Johnny and Jeannie separated and Johnny left Jeannie with their son. The son feels hurt since his father left. Both "The Party's Over" and "Next Time You See Johnny" were made into music videos. The final track, the title song of 1992's
Fire of Forgiveness, gives the listener some resolution as Johnny looks back in his life. Marks describes the Johnny and Jeannie series as "everything John Mellencamp didn't tell you about Jack and Diane."
Marks recorded his 1987 album Make It Right with the title song becoming a Top 10 hit on the Christian radio charts. From that album, the track "Say a Prayer for Me Tonight" was inspired by a true story of a young man who meets Marks after a concert for counseling and asks Marks to pray for him. The young man committed suicide a few days later. 1992's Fire of Forgiveness continues the theme of family-oriented issues from his 1989 album Another Friday Night.
Marks co-wrote many songs with his then-wife Pamela Marks. They divorced in 1997. Marks died of a heart attack on October 31, 2018.
More information on Kenny Marks at Wikipedia:
Discography
World Gone Mad (1995)
Comments