56, was killed Feb. 25 and his death can only be called a tragic loss for the blues and the Arkansas Delta.Blues musician and loyal supporter Mark Sallings, 56, was killed in a two-vehicle accident in Crittenden County on Feb. 25, a tragic loss to Arkansas Delta and Blues music.
Many called Sallings their friend and others called him the greatest blues harpist in the world.
Sallings, born near Helena, was an integral part of the blues and the Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival, playing at the festival many times and also playing at the funeral of many blues artist greats.
Rayne Gordon, Sonny Boy Blues Society president, said that Sallings was a “huge” supporter of the festival playing his harp at memorials and events for Blues Aid.
He began playing professionally at age 14. Sallings was recruited fresh out of high school and worked in Memphis, as a session player at Stax Records with J.R. Brewer, Steve Cropper and Ron Capone.
He also performed with several bands.
He learned to play the “harp” in the New Orleans French Quarter, hustling tips.
“These two cities were my music school and what inspired me to pursue a career in music,” Sallings commented in an interview.
Sallings signed with Coon Elder and the Brenda Patterson Band at 25 on Mercury Records and appeared on the cover of Billboard Magazine.
Sallings’ talent as a saxophone, harmonica and piano player earned him a Premier Player winner and several time nominee of the Memphis Chapter of the Grammy’s Recording Academy.
He has worked with many legendary performers from rock to country and blues, which spawned the name of his band, The Famous Unknowns.
Sallings has been featured in three top 10 videos.
In 1991, The Famous Unknowns were the first house band at BB Kings Blues Club on Beale Street in Memphis.
In 1995, he was signed to Indie label of Vent Records, out of Birmingham, Ala., and released two CDs, “Let it Be Known” and “Talkin’ To Myself.”
The Famous Unknowns, performed at festivals and clubs across the U.S. In 1999 Sallings headlined a festival tour, Thredbo Legends of Blues Festival in Australia. His music is played on radio stations across the country and internationally.
Apparently, Sallings lost control of his vehicle on his way to play a casino in Tunica, Miss. It collided head-on with another vehicle. The driver of the other vehicle, Darryl Harper, 36, of Hughes was sent to the Med in Memphis.
There will be a jam honoring Sallings at the Hard Rock Café in Memphis at 11 a.m. today.
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56, was killed Feb. 25 and his death can only be called a tragic loss for the blues and the Arkansas Delta.Blues musician and loyal supporter Mark Sallings, 56, was killed in a two-vehicle accident in Crittenden County on Feb. 25, a tragic loss to Arkansas Delta and Blues music.
Many called Sallings their friend and others called him the greatest blues harpist in the world.
Sallings, born near Helena, was an integral part of the blues and the Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival, playing at the festival many times and also playing at the funeral of many blues artist greats.
Rayne Gordon, Sonny Boy Blues Society president, said that Sallings was a “huge” supporter of the festival playing his harp at memorials and events for Blues Aid.
He began playing professionally at age 14. Sallings was recruited fresh out of high school and worked in Memphis, as a session player at Stax Records with J.R. Brewer, Steve Cropper and Ron Capone.
He also performed with several bands.
He learned to play the “harp” in the New Orleans French Quarter, hustling tips.
“These two cities were my music school and what inspired me to pursue a career in music,” Sallings commented in an interview.
Sallings signed with Coon Elder and the Brenda Patterson Band at 25 on Mercury Records and appeared on the cover of Billboard Magazine.
Sallings’ talent as a saxophone, harmonica and piano player earned him a Premier Player winner and several time nominee of the Memphis Chapter of the Grammy’s Recording Academy.
He has worked with many legendary performers from rock to country and blues, which spawned the name of his band, The Famous Unknowns.
Sallings has been featured in three top 10 videos.
In 1991, The Famous Unknowns were the first house band at BB Kings Blues Club on Beale Street in Memphis.
In 1995, he was signed to Indie label of Vent Records, out of Birmingham, Ala., and released two CDs, “Let it Be Known” and “Talkin’ To Myself.”
The Famous Unknowns, performed at festivals and clubs across the U.S. In 1999 Sallings headlined a festival tour, Thredbo Legends of Blues Festival in Australia. His music is played on radio stations across the country and internationally.
Apparently, Sallings lost control of his vehicle on his way to play a casino in Tunica, Miss. It collided head-on with another vehicle. The driver of the other vehicle, Darryl Harper, 36, of Hughes was sent to the Med in Memphis.
There will be a jam honoring Sallings at the Hard Rock Café in Memphis at 11 a.m. today.
