BRAND NEW - two rare duo gigs for Mark Flanagan: Sunday, 27/07/2008, Maryport Blues Festival Trail, The Swan, 2pm & The Colar Gas Stage, 5pm, Maryport, Cumbria 01900 602122. Mark will be playing the main stage with Jools Holland in the evening.

Aside from continuing to tour with Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, Mark's latest project is "THE FIELDS", a 3 piece Blues Outfit. Mark Flanagan's new CD with this new band is now available to purchase from this site. Click here for three new Realaudios from this CD and purchase details. Mark Flanagan's hugely popular CD "The Chosen Few", is still also available.

The Fields consists of Mark Flanagan (Guitars, Vocals, Waterphone, Meletron, Steel Drums), Jimmy Bergin (Guitar, Vocals, Bass, Bouzouki, Mandola) and Barnew Goulding (Drums, Mandola, Vocals).

Mark Flanagan was born in Liverpool and started playing ukulele at the age of eight. He got his first guitar when he was 12 and was mesmerised by Django Rheinhardt. He grew up listening to Hank Williams, Ray Charles, The Beatles, Tamla Motown, the Stones, and Bowie.  He joined his first group at the age of 15 and later moved to East Anglia where he founded cult swing harmony group 'The Box Brothers'.

Mark then moved to London in 1988, where his neighbour happened to be Jools Holland. He jammed with Jools at the Edinburgh festival that year and has been with the Rhythm and Blues Orchestra since. He has performed on many live TV shows, where he has accompanied anyone from Chaka Khan to Paul Weller, Barry White to Eric Clapton.

Reunited with old mate Kevin Willoughby in '98, they met up with the wildly talented Gary Foote and Flanagan was born. They recorded an EP "Like A Fool" in January 1999 and the new album "THE CHOSEN FEW" is due for release in March 2002 when Mark will be doing a short UK solo tour to promote the album.   

Kevin Willoughby is a formally trained genius of bass and harmony.  He met Mark Flanagan in a jazz-funk band in the '80's and they were involved in many projects together.  Kevin went to Senegal, Africa in 1989, and ended up staying for six years playing with various artists such as Ishmail Lo, Sariba Kouyate and Super Diamono.  He then spent some time in Scandinavia where he was involved in various projects including an acid-jazz collaboration.  He came back to England in the late 90's and reunited with Mark.

Gary Foote is a gifted and sensitive musician.  He played drums between the ages of 11 - 20, then switched to saxophone.  The result is a very musical drummer and supremely accomplished saxophonist.  He has been the main man on percussion and saxophone with Joan Armatrading for over a decade.  Other projects include 'The Quiet Boys' with Mick Talbot and Chris Bangs, gigs with Jimmy Ruffin, an album with Laurel Aitken, touring with Jamiroquai and Banco de Gaia, Top of the Pops appearances with Tom Jones, The Bee Gees and also gigs with The Zoot Money Band.

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