Mark Germino is an American

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

and

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

singer-songwriter. Born in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, he initially worked as a poet before moving into folk rock songwriting; by 1974, he had moved to

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

. Initially, he did not plan to become a singer, although he eventually bought a guitar and took up singing as well, as he decided that singing was easier than reciting poetry. The Song "Lean on Jesus (Before He Leans on You)" co-written by Germino with

Rob Stanley Rob or ROB may refer to: Places * Rob, Velike Lašče, a settlement in Slovenia * Roberts International Airport (IATA code ROB), in Monrovia, Liberia People * Rob (given name), a given name or nickname, e.g., for Robert(o), Robin/Robyn * Rob (s ...

and sung by

Paul Craft Paul Charles Craft (August 12, 1938 – October 18, 2014) was an American country singer-songwriter. The Memphis-born Craft was known as the songwriter for Mark Chesnutt's single "Brother Jukebox", and the novelty song "It's Me Again, Margaret", ...

reached No. 55 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' country chart in 1977. Germino moved on to performing in Nashville clubs at night, while working by day as a

truck driver A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster, or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...

. By 1981, he was signed to a songwriting contract; five years later,

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

signed him as a recording artist. Between 1986 and 1991, he recorded two solo albums for the label (1986's ''London Moon and Barnyard Remedies'' and 1987's ''Caught in the Act of Being Ourselves''); a third album for the label, 1991's ''Radartown'', featured a backing band called The Sluggers. His third solo album, 1995's ''Rank and File'', was issued independently. "Broken Man's Lament" from the ''London Moon and Barnyard Remedies'' album has been recorded and released by

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, including ...

on her album ''

All I Intended to Be ''All I Intended to Be'' is the 25th studio album from Emmylou Harris and her third release on Nonesuch Records. It was released in the United States on June 10, 2008. The album debuted at number 22 on the Billboard 200, and number four on Top Co ...

''. Germino also co-wrote the singles "Bill's Laundromat, Bar and Grill" for

Confederate Railroad Confederate Railroad (originally known as "Confederate RR") is an American country rock band founded in 1987 in Marietta, Georgia, by Danny Shirley (lead vocals), Michael Lamb (lead guitar), Mark Dufresne (drums), Chris McDaniel (keyboards), Warr ...

and "I Will Stand" for

Kenny Chesney Kenneth Arnold Chesney (born March 26, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has recorded more than 20 albums and has produced more than 40 Top 10 singles on the US ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Hot Coun ...

. "Rex Bob Lowenstein", a song about an independently-minded radio DJ who rebels against being given a playlist by his boss, taken from "Caught in the Act of Being Ourselves", was particularly admired and much played on BBC Radio 1 by British DJ

Roger Scott Roger Scott (23 October 1943 – 31 October 1989) was a British radio disc jockey. He was best known for presenting an afternoon radio show on London's Capital London from 1973 until 1988 and was also best known for presenting his late night ...

and is a personal favourite of

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

DJ Bob Harris.

Discography

* ''London Moon and Barnyard Remedies'' (1986, RCA, PL85852) * ''Caught in the Act of Being Ourselves'' (1987, RCA, PL86608) * ''Radartown'' (1991, RCA, PD90550) (as Mark Germino and The Sluggers) * ''Radartown'' (1991, Zoo Entertainment, BMG 7-2445-11002-2) (as Mark Germino and The Sluggers) * ''Economics'' (1991, Zoo Entertainment, BMG ZP-17004-2) (as Mark Germino and The Sluggers) Promo for ''Radartown'' lus live recording of ''Highway 61 Revisited''* ''Rex Bob Lowenstein'' (1991, Zoo Entertainment, BMG ZP-17019-2) (as Mark Germino and The Sluggers) Promo for ''Radartown'' * ''Rank and File'' (1995, Winter Harvest, WH3303) * ''Atomic Candlestick'' (2006, Atomic Office Records, 044-001) (as Mark Germino and the Grenade Angels) * ''Midnight Carnival'' (2021)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Germino, Mark American country songwriters American male songwriters American folk rock musicians Living people Musicians from North Carolina Year of birth missing (living people)