Remembering
Remembering...Uncle Mark Reynolds
Remembering Uncle Mark Reynolds
Uncle Mark Reynolds was larger than life...really. He was also a pretty large guy...until he had a few heart attacks. He ended up stealing a few more years than he was told he'd been allotted after that and I think it was a better deal for all of us than it was for him. He was one of my very best friends and there are more stories than I could possibly find time to tell. But as films and writings begin to surface about him I'll add them to this tribute. This is just a humble beginning. I was coaching Uncle for life on the road and trying to help him get better connected outside of Atlanta where he's already been a big draw in several bands...and then he had that damn series of heart attacks. So I'd like to share a few things that some others had to say because I think they've said them so well. Uncle and I traveled together, recorded together and did many assorted and often illegal things together in the name of art and love. He was my brother and I loved him dearly.
Fortunately for me he and his sweety, Jennifer, came to visit the place I was living at the time in Columbus Georgia...we talked a lot about his prospects and how it all made him feel and then we swapped some tunes. He especially wanted to hear "The Other Side". He still carried my wolf dog Maya's dog tags with him wherever he went and he ended up buried with them in his pocket. It's a long and interesting story. They both walk together now in beauty and light on the other side. When I got the news the morning of 9-11-04 I felt like I'd already said good bye to my Brother Boy...as he liked to say. The notice Eddie Owen sent out to Uncle's circle of friends on that is so to the point...if you knew how much EO loved Uncle Mark you'd fully appreciate how restrained this little note really is and how hard it must've been for him to write it.
Eddie Owen 9-11-04
Hello All,
"Uncle" Mark Reynolds, a mainstay at Eddie's Attic during my years there, both as co-worker and performer passed away this morning at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta. At some point in the near future there will most likely be a service to remember Uncle at the Attic, probably Sunday Oct 3.
His burial will be this coming week in W VA. Plans and details are being made.
Paul Melancon 9-12-04
He wasn't my uncle. I'm not even sure if he was anyone's uncle. (Hell, I never even thought to ask him why he was playing out under that name in all the years I'd known him) What he was a local musician who'd been part of the acoustic scene in Atlanta for years. He was also one of the nicest people I've ever known.
The first time I heard THAT VOICE he was still part of "Ashley and Mark" out in Carollton, GA, when music was still just a hobby for me.
The first time I met Mark he was booking for Eddie's Attic and I played a writer's night with him and Kevin Montgomery. It was my first REAL show and still one of my favorite memories. Kevin and I really hit it off and at one point Mark left the stage for a bit, ostensibly to take a break, but mainly because he could tell Kevin and I were really feeding off each other and he just decided to pull himself out of the mix for a bit to let us go. I'm not sure how that comes across for anyone reading this, but it was quite a gesture.
I played a number of other shows with Mark. Once I started my first band I was still talking to him off and on in his capacity as "Bud Bass" the booking person for Eddie's. Radiant City planned a holiday show/single for charity one year and Mark sang on the song. I tried to convince him that he and I should do the David Bowie/Bing Crosby "Little Drummer Boy" bit in between sets at the show but we never had time to work it out.
Then he suffered a heart attack and everything changed.
During those initial weeks afterwards Cate and I spent a lot of time at the hospital with his family and close friends. I can't even recall today how I ended up being one of the people there. I don't even think I really understood it at the time, I hadn't really thought of myself as one of his close friends. But I'm glad I got to be there, to be supportive. There was a benefit put on by Eddie's Attic that resulted in a show and a CD. I made a goofy little speech before one song implying that Mark had a secret life as a superhero.
He was a candidate for a transplant, but he was told that it would buy him about three years and at least one of those would be spent in recovery. He opted to just live his life the way he wanted. In the end, he got his three years anyway, on his terms.
It makes no medical sense, it's merely a poetic device my brain has constructed. I know that. But Mark had a voice that could shake mountains. He had a voice that was too big for his body to hold. Whatever animates us put the voice inside him because someone had to hold it and it had to be someone with the will and strength to carry the weight of it the longest.
Most of you reading this won't know who Mark is. History is full of the comings and goings of amazing people no one knows. You should have known Mark.
Dave Gibson 9-13-04
I was just listening to Hammer's Hum on Saturday, thinking about how good it would be to see him play again.
After I saw Mark play for the first time (thanks to you), I went to him and said, "Sir, You have a voice that could make an atheist see God."
I'm not sure if he really understood it at the time, but I meant it. I have no hard belief in a greater power, but if ever my life was touched by something Divine, it was when I got to listen to him sing.
Uncle Mark Reynolds was larger than life...really. He was also a pretty large guy...until he had a few heart attacks. He ended up stealing a few more years than he was told he'd been allotted after that and I think it was a better deal for all of us than it was for him. He was one of my very best friends and there are more stories than I could possibly find time to tell. But as films and writings begin to surface about him I'll add them to this tribute. This is just a humble beginning. I was coaching Uncle for life on the road and trying to help him get better connected outside of Atlanta where he's already been a big draw in several bands...and then he had that damn series of heart attacks. So I'd like to share a few things that some others had to say because I think they've said them so well. Uncle and I traveled together, recorded together and did many assorted and often illegal things together in the name of art and love. He was my brother and I loved him dearly.
Fortunately for me he and his sweety, Jennifer, came to visit the place I was living at the time in Columbus Georgia...we talked a lot about his prospects and how it all made him feel and then we swapped some tunes. He especially wanted to hear "The Other Side". He still carried my wolf dog Maya's dog tags with him wherever he went and he ended up buried with them in his pocket. It's a long and interesting story. They both walk together now in beauty and light on the other side. When I got the news the morning of 9-11-04 I felt like I'd already said good bye to my Brother Boy...as he liked to say. The notice Eddie Owen sent out to Uncle's circle of friends on that is so to the point...if you knew how much EO loved Uncle Mark you'd fully appreciate how restrained this little note really is and how hard it must've been for him to write it.
Eddie Owen 9-11-04
Hello All,
"Uncle" Mark Reynolds, a mainstay at Eddie's Attic during my years there, both as co-worker and performer passed away this morning at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta. At some point in the near future there will most likely be a service to remember Uncle at the Attic, probably Sunday Oct 3.
His burial will be this coming week in W VA. Plans and details are being made.
Paul Melancon 9-12-04
He wasn't my uncle. I'm not even sure if he was anyone's uncle. (Hell, I never even thought to ask him why he was playing out under that name in all the years I'd known him) What he was a local musician who'd been part of the acoustic scene in Atlanta for years. He was also one of the nicest people I've ever known.
The first time I heard THAT VOICE he was still part of "Ashley and Mark" out in Carollton, GA, when music was still just a hobby for me.
The first time I met Mark he was booking for Eddie's Attic and I played a writer's night with him and Kevin Montgomery. It was my first REAL show and still one of my favorite memories. Kevin and I really hit it off and at one point Mark left the stage for a bit, ostensibly to take a break, but mainly because he could tell Kevin and I were really feeding off each other and he just decided to pull himself out of the mix for a bit to let us go. I'm not sure how that comes across for anyone reading this, but it was quite a gesture.
I played a number of other shows with Mark. Once I started my first band I was still talking to him off and on in his capacity as "Bud Bass" the booking person for Eddie's. Radiant City planned a holiday show/single for charity one year and Mark sang on the song. I tried to convince him that he and I should do the David Bowie/Bing Crosby "Little Drummer Boy" bit in between sets at the show but we never had time to work it out.
Then he suffered a heart attack and everything changed.
During those initial weeks afterwards Cate and I spent a lot of time at the hospital with his family and close friends. I can't even recall today how I ended up being one of the people there. I don't even think I really understood it at the time, I hadn't really thought of myself as one of his close friends. But I'm glad I got to be there, to be supportive. There was a benefit put on by Eddie's Attic that resulted in a show and a CD. I made a goofy little speech before one song implying that Mark had a secret life as a superhero.
He was a candidate for a transplant, but he was told that it would buy him about three years and at least one of those would be spent in recovery. He opted to just live his life the way he wanted. In the end, he got his three years anyway, on his terms.
It makes no medical sense, it's merely a poetic device my brain has constructed. I know that. But Mark had a voice that could shake mountains. He had a voice that was too big for his body to hold. Whatever animates us put the voice inside him because someone had to hold it and it had to be someone with the will and strength to carry the weight of it the longest.
Most of you reading this won't know who Mark is. History is full of the comings and goings of amazing people no one knows. You should have known Mark.
Dave Gibson 9-13-04
I was just listening to Hammer's Hum on Saturday, thinking about how good it would be to see him play again.
After I saw Mark play for the first time (thanks to you), I went to him and said, "Sir, You have a voice that could make an atheist see God."
I'm not sure if he really understood it at the time, but I meant it. I have no hard belief in a greater power, but if ever my life was touched by something Divine, it was when I got to listen to him sing.
ADD COMMENT
Mike CaldwellSunday, December 30th 2012 11:19AM
My best memories are back in 1990 and 1991 when I was at WG and we would go see Mark and Ashley every Monday night play at Bradley's "Cover Town". They would play all night long. We then developed a friendship with Mark and Ashley and a group of us for the next 5 or so years would go see them in all over Atlanta. This was a great time as Mark was such a great person, friend and entertainer. I remember when we asked Mark to play at our wedding in Savannah in 1993. He laughed and said, "You know we are not a wedding type band and we have never played a wedding before". Mark, Ashley, Robin and Cameron agreed as we told them we just want them to treat it as their typical show, no wedding songs etc. It was a night we will never forget as the picture on the back of their CD which my wife designed (Live By The Dollar) is from our wedding. That entire early 90's scene at Eddie's is a time my wife and I will cherish forever. The greatest part of that time was getting to know Mark and the love he had for everyone. We miss you Mark. Mike and Heidi Caldwell
Cathy MayvilleWednesday, January 6th 2010 11:06AM
The last time I saw Mark was after his first heart attack (I think). I was really looking him in the eye as I talked to him somehow thinking that would give me the true answer as to his prognosis. He noticed I was doing it and he cut the conversation and he said "Cathy, it's okay. I'm okay." Then he grabbed my hand and said "Here, feel it" and he put my hand on his pace maker. It's not odd at all that Mark would be the one comforting others even if he was the one in peril. That guy was love. My favorite image of him is the night I had a party at my house and he was too drunk to drive home so I made him stay. He ended up passing out in my queen sized waterbed and I had no where to sleep so I tried to crawl in bed next to him. He was so gigantic that all the water in the bed got displaced to the side I was trying to sleep on--I was about a foot and a half above him riding the giant wave he created. Thanks for all the fun Mark--I was new to ATL then and you made it feel like home.
MarkFriday, September 11th 2009 5:20PM
I was close friends with his then future girlfriend for 3 years-the early Carrolton years. She went to West Ga and called me and said she met all the cool people and I have to come. I met Mark. Val and him(for all those who know her)were living in a dorm room together. Wow. I had so much fun there I lost my job. Ooops. Mark had a guitar with a broken string and was playing around. It was great. I am not sure how many days passed but everyone went to the veranda and set up Mark to sing with amp, etc. He was so funny....Party on the veranda....he sung that. In later years we had contact on and off and I worked Gay Pride a few years. We liked each other kinda. I had a boyfriend I lived with so I didn't bite. I broke up with my boyfriend and this was after the heart attacks. I went to the Attic to see him play and we talked. So we became intimate friends. Just friends. Apparently he had a few like me-no offense. He lived his life to the fullest. I loved him for that. He was facing something I could never understand. Finality. Also-everyone loved Mark. He just had that "something" that drew people to him and kept them wanting more. He did have girlfriends. I was happy he had that. I listen to his music all the time-on my mp3. I have Hammers Hum. I lost the benefit cd. Rats. If he didn't get sick he would probably be national like his former band members. He had THE voice. I tell everyone I know and everyone I meet about him. I play them his music. Without exception, even my parents were blown away. I am sad we will never see his dream.
ADD COMMENT
Elizabeth DeschesneTuesday, September 8th 2009 10:52PM
Hard to believe it's been almost 5 years. No one would tell me Uncle Mark passed, as I was in the hospital myself at the time. I think about him daily.. and on this, my 5 year anniversary, I know his is just around the corner.. I miss ya Uncle!
Noel MayeskeSunday, November 30th 2008 4:53PM
I was just thinking about Mark the other day when some of my wife's friends from Carrollton were mentioning him. I have great memories of time spent with Ashley & Mark, "managing" them around 1990-'91 and enjoying seeing them play live several times a week. Those are great memories for me, and Mark's big personality is a big part of my fondness for those times. Same goes to Ashley and Jinny, Wendy, Shawn, Eddie and everyone else in the scene -- it was a great part of my life. Here's to you all!
JaymeismWednesday, August 20th 2008 11:50PM
I met Uncle Mark late one Saturday night as one of my friends grabbed me saying " you've got to feel this guy sing". I was amazed at the honesty of that statement. My body resonated with Uncle since the first day, I think it was 1993. We had some really interesting moments, all happy, never drama ridden, and always with both of us knowing we were just sharing the time and space we had.
I was walking around with my kids at the fair one night and I hadn't seen Uncle in a year or two. I saw this guy walk by me in a baseball cap and I thought, damn that looks almost like Mark, only about half of him. It was him and we reconnected instantly as we always did .. ten years, hard to believe. I learned about his heart and honestly never believed that a heart that great would break. I guess it did, and I am sorry to hear that he is no longer with us.
We shared some things that were unique in my life, he was a kinky boy and funny and dark and cool and deep. An amazing, under appreciated talent with an operatic voice that I can still feel in my memory. One night he came over to smoke and sing at my kitchen table he brought a box of letters.. and some M&M's and we shared and cried about all the things we needed and missed and knew we had to let go of.
I found this site because I've been missing him, my daughter just turned 23 and we were talking about previous birthdays. She recalls the best party ever was her 16th. We had a room full of teenagers, sober.. go figure .. and Uncle came over to give her a song for her Birthday, it turned into a jam session on my deck and I saw dusty ole songs light new fires in brand new people, it was LOVE. It's a special memory for all of us, the light in his eyes, the laugh, watching him watch them watching him... if yanno what I mean.
I loved Mark, I always promoted his search for love and life and experience, I promoted his stardom and he promoted mine. I miss him and wish I had sang one more round of amazing grace with him.. even though me made me sound small and scared, I know that I was better with him beside me.
ADD COMMENT
G. M. LupoSaturday, May 31st 2008 1:21PM
I never knew Mark really well, but you never would have guessed it by the way he'd greet me whenever I turned up at one of his shows. He was one of the nicest, most talented people I've ever known. One of my fondest memories is of the first time I heard him sing Hammers Hum a cappella and without a mike at a Fiddler's Green show in the late-90s. Hammers Hum is one of my favorite albums.
Queenie MullinixTuesday, November 6th 2007 8:04PM
Uncle Mark was the coolest because he wasn't too cool to
sing back up in the studio as a favor, ride in the back seat and tell jokes with my son or be a special guest at my first CD release party. Not long before he passed we unexpectedly ran into each other at a concert and he gave me a big hug.....that was really cool.
Susan HickeyMonday, September 24th 2007 2:23PM
I met Mark in college, when he was wroking for a pizza kitchen in the student center. It was hard not to notice Mark, and after we'd met, it seemd like I saw him all over campus.
A few years later, sitting with friends in the local Greek restaurant Spyro Gyro to hear a friend perform, Mark was one of the guys setting up the stage. To our surprise he took a seat on an overturned bucket, and with eyes downcast, rocked slowly back & forth. It seemed as though you could hear the gazes of each person in the room straying to him and locking on. I remember that attitude, that tilt of the head, because there was only one thing that could happen after that, and I wasn't sure it would. And when he did in fact tilt his head back and release that huge voice into the room, full and solid so as to be almost a physical sensation, it satisfied something very primal inside us, as though we had been waiting for some vocal nourishment we hadn't known we needed. It was like a force of nature, that voice, the sheer power, the smoky vibrato. At its best it made us feel mighty and small all at once, like standing on the beach during a hurricane.
That voice never stopped amazing me, and I followed Mark's musical career after that with great interest. When I started taking an interest in playing, I wrote down something from an article Mark wrote about the life: 'Play every where you can, write til you're drained, and give every crowd you play to, from 5 to 500, everything you've got. '
My path was very different from Mark's and I left Atlanta for a few years. When I got back, it was to the sad news that Mark had just died. I searched vainly at the time for some mention of a memorial service, but through unfamiliarity with Google, and the fading nature of local contacts, I missed word until weeks after the event.
Last year I was traveling with my musical partner, and suddenly remembered that I had given my aunt in NYC a copy of 'Covertown' many years ago. I had seen it on a recent visit, plastic still intact over the box. I asked her to send it to me; I had a sudden thirst to hear it again, and play it for my partner. She sent it in good time, but the package sadly went astray. Though I know its lost, part of me went on waiting to hear Mark Reynolds sing again. Part of me still is.
ADD COMMENT
Bowen st aptsWednesday, June 27th 2007 9:20AM
I wish you were still around to put out another cig on my kitchen floor.
Remember Mondo's Moving Day Madness.
See ya Mark!
Bren JohnsonFriday, February 2nd 2007 10:54AM
Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure of meeting him in person, or even seeing one of his shows in person... but I listened to my mom's copy of "Hammers Hum" all the time when I was little. Since then I have graduated high school and moved on to college and the cd has been lost. His music brings back wonderful memories from my childhood and I would love to have another copy. If you know where I would be able to get one, please do let me know.
ADD A COMMENT