Mark Lee is a native Texan and grew up in Alvin. He began singing at an early age, and when he was 18, he bought a used guitar for $100 and set out to learn every song on Hank Williams 40 Greatest Hits album.

      “For every two Hank Williams songs, I also learned a George Strait song. I didn’t want the only songs I knew to be Hank,” Mark said.

      Besides Hank Williams and George Strait, Mark’s early influences included Dwight Yoakum, Randy Travis, and most of all his Uncle Donald Lee, a walking encyclopedia of classic country who owns every George Jones album ever made. 

      While at Texas A&M University, Mark performed frequently at local places such as Kay’s Cabaret in College Station and Chatters on Lake Austin.  Mark’s professionalism and genuine desire to please the audience lead to steady appearances at Texas Opry shows in Georgetown, La Grange, Milam, Llano, and Mason. On the Llano and Mason Opry stages, Mark had the honor of opening the show for country music legends such as Ray Price, Kitty Wells, Floyd Tillman, Hank Thompson, Gene Watson, Bill Anderson, John Conlee, Cal Smith, and Darryl McCall.

      It was at the Llano Opry that Mark met the extraordinarily talented singer, bass player, and producer Justin Trevino, who agreed to produce Mark’s debut CD.  I Like the Way It Was is filled with original songs that speak to modern listeners while harkening back to a simpler time.

      The top-notch players include Jim Loessberg (drums, steel guitar), Bobby Flores (fiddle), Ron Huckaby (piano), Dave Biller (electric guitar), and Jake Hooker (upright bass). The CD also boasts a duet with legendary singer Leona Williams on the song Legally, written by Freddie Hart.

      “The sound (on the album) is exactly what I wanted. In fact, it sounds more ‘right’ every time I hear it,” Mark said. “Every steel guitar lick, every fiddle piece, seems to really fit. The players were so creative and spontaneous, coming up with original licks. I couldn’t have gotten the sound I was looking for without them, least of all without Justin producing it.”

      Mark currently resides in Rockne, Texas, where he is a rancher as well as an entertainer, a songwriter, and an Allstate agent in downtown Bastrop, Texas.