MARK NEWTON
- Originally from Padukah, Kentucky and lived in Fredericksburg, Virginia for many years. Moved to Nashville in 2004.
- At age 14, played in his father’s band, called Frog Newton and the Tadpoles.
- Mid-70’s, put together his first band, Cabin Hill.
- 1976, joined the Heights of Grass.
- 1978, joined the Knoxville Grass.
- 1981, re-joined the Heights of Grass.
- 1983, formed the Virginia Squires with four of the five members of the Heights of Grass.
- 1988, quit the music business.
- 1990, formed the Mark Newton Entertainment Agency and began promoting the Graves Mountain Bluegrass Festival in Virginia.
- 1992, teamed up with banjo legend Bill Emerson to form The Bill Emerson and Mark Newton Band.
- 1995, joined the Tony Rice Unit.
- 1998, recorded his first solo album Living a Dream
(Rebel) with Bill Emerson, Ralph Stanley, Tony Rice, Dudley Connell, others.
- 1999, formed the Mark Newton band and recorded an album Follow Me Back to the Fold (Rebel) featuring duets with Rhonda Vincent, Lynn Morris, Claire Lynch, Dale Ann Bradley, other women singers.
- 2001, won IBMA award for Recorded Event of the Year (for his album Follow Me Back to the Fold).
- 2002, released Reborn
album (Rebel).
- 2003, released No Boundaries
album (Rebel).
- 2006, released Hillbilly Hemingway
album (Rebel).
- 2011, formed “Mark Newton’s Stillhouse Band” with Andrew Blythe (banjo) and Leah Needham (guitar, resonator guitar).
- 2013, teamed up with fiddler/vocalist Steve Thomas to record Reborn