Mark Perry is one of Canada’s great bard’s, a folk-rock balladeer known and loved for his socially-narrative, good-humoured and thought-provoking songs. He sweeps you up in animated tales of Canadian characters and events, getting introspective or paying homage to the creative resilience of rural townsfolk — the stuff that shows up when mills, mines and fisheries are shutting down, rivers are rising, and when buying the family car means trading “two cords of wood and 24 beer”. He draws us in to reflect or to laugh at ourselves, connecting us from coast to coast. 

“New Jersey has Springsteen, New York has Billy Joel, northern BC has Mark Perry. These are the storytellers of their times and places.”
salutes music reviewer Frank Peebles.

This popular songwriter is set to release his 13th album, ‘Northwest’, October 29, 2021. While multiple generations of northern BCers have grown up singing his lyrics by heart, Perry has recently branched out on a national level. After performing at Folk Alliance International in Montreal and New Orleans, he saw a surge of interest and international airplay in places like New Zealand, the UK, and across North America– from Alabama to New Jersey, New Brunswick to Alaska.. In 2020 he was recognized by Roots Music Canada for his 2019 single premiere of “Cold Road” in their Top 10 most popular reads.

Perry has been writing, recording and performing since the mid-1990s when he recorded his first album with Roy Forbes and Shari Ulrich, then headed out on to tour with Connie Kaldor as her opening show. These days he sells out his own theatre shows, primarily in western Canada, and tours with a variety of talented accompanists including Mark Thibeault (Hungry Hill), Tobin Frank (Spirit of the West), Ian Olmstead (Alex Cuba) and Mip (Mip Power Trio). With over 200 songs recorded, he has a huge repertoire of both contemplative and lively tunes to suit his audience, from dirt road ballads to river-rising frolics.

Discography

Mark Perry produced his 1^st album in the 1990s with his west coast hero Roy Forbes (Bim) and recorded the next 10 with acclaimed producers Steve Dawson, Hugh McMillan, Bob Hamilton, Joby Baker & Jordy Walker. In 2019, Perry released a collection album, “Recollections”, re-recorded his single “Queen of the North” and released a new single “Cold Road” which premiered nationally on Roots Music Canada. In 2020 he released a single and accompanying home video, ‘Flatten out the Curve’, at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic which went slightly viral on Facebook with over 30,000 views and 1,000 shared in its first few days.

Leading up to his 13th album release, Northwest, Perry released three singles in 2021 – ‘Golden Spruce‘, ‘Fish Boats‘, and ‘Who Am I?‘

2021 Northwest (Album/Jordy Walker)
2020 Flatten out the Curve (Single/Jordy Walker)
2019 Cold Road (Single/Jordy Walker)
2019 Recollections (Album/collection)
2018 Right Here (Album/Jordy Walker)
2016 Northern Waters (Album/Steve Dawson)
2013 People & Places (Album/Jordy Walker)
2011 West (Album/Joby Baker )
2008 RR7 (Album/Jordy Walker)
2005 In Every Town (Album/Bob Hamilton)
2002 Aldermere (Album/Mike Lent)
1999 View From The HighRoad (Album/R. Jenne/M. Perry)
1996 Vera’s Café (Album/Hugh Macmillan)
1993 Still Around (Album/Roy Forbes )
1990 Dreams of the Highway (Album/Roy

Influences

As a kid growing up in a small northern BC town in the 70s, Mark Perry got his start when he tuned in to the scratchy, barely audible, late night AM radio waves coming from Vancouver and heard CCR, the Rolling Stones, Eric Burdon and Gordon Lightfoot. He traded an old lawnmower for what he calls an “electric(ish) guitar” and into the neighbour’s basement he went, guitar in hand, determined to play that music. He earned his calluses playing consecutive 6-nighters with his road band, and started writing and crafting his own popular songs. In between raising a family and working for the Canadian railroad, he’s produced 13 albums and performs to a growing fan base.

These days Perry has left the railyard and is more focussed than ever on writing and creating music in his home-based studio. He runs a small horse farm with his wife Jane in a beautiful mountain valley outside Smithers BC.