You can learn a lot about a person by the company he keeps, as a sideman Mark Edgar Stuart has toured with Grammy winner Alvin Youngblood Hart, Jack Oblivian, John Paul Keith and cut two records with singer-songwriter Cory Branan which led to an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. With little fuss or fanfare he became the go-to bass player for an elite group of record producers and artists. His no-nonsense style always played a supporting role that was close to the spotlight, but not too close... Cancer changes things, and so does losing your father. When all of these things happened in rapid succession Mark took some time to heal, and reevaluate. In 2010 He put down his bass, picked up a guitar, and started writing songs he never thought anybody outside his family would ever hear... It’s possible nobody ever would have heard them either, if not for the encouragement of his colleagues. The story you’ll hear over and over again as people discover Mark’s debut CD, Blues for Lou, (and a collection of songs so effortlessly poignant will be discovered and rediscovered for a long time) is how it was triggered by this period of sickness and sorrow. While that’s essentially true, a record like this was inevitable. His debut earned him "Record Of The Year" by the Memphis Flyer. Mark soaks in details like a sponge, and spending so much time in the company of strong songwriters, it was only a matter of time before these humble, humorous and, and sometimes heartbreaking stories found a way to get out.

-Chris Davis, Memphis Flyer