Mark Eugene Gray (October 24, 1952 – December 2, 2016) was an American singer-songwriter and

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist. He recorded both as a solo artist for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

and as a member of the

country pop Country pop (also known as pop country or urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres ...

band

Exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

, of which he was a member between 1979 and 1982. Gray's solo career included three albums and nine singles, of which the highest-peaking is the No. 6

Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music artist, as well as an actress and author. She is considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Ly ...

duet "

Sometimes When We Touch "Sometimes When We Touch" is a 1977 ballad written by Canadian pop rock artist Dan Hill (lyrics) and Barry Mann (music) on the album '' Longer Fuse''. It was first released as a single by Hill. His version of the song became the most successful ...

", a cover of the

Dan Hill Daniel Grafton Hill IV (born 3 June 1954) is a Canadian pop singer and songwriter. He had two major international hits with his songs " Sometimes When We Touch" and "Can't We Try", a duet with Vonda Shepard, as well as a number of other charti ...

song. Gray also co-wrote " Take Me Down" and "

The Closer You Get ''The Closer You Get'' is the second album by English indie rock band Six by Seven, recorded at The Square Centre in Nottingham with Ric Peet (who produced one track on their first album), and John Leckie, (who has worked with many British ban ...

", both of which were originally recorded by Exile in 1980 and later became Number One hits for

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. Other songs that Gray co-wrote include "

It Ain't Easy Bein' Easy "It Ain't Easy Bein' Easy" is a song written by Mark Gray, Les Taylor and Shawna Harrington-Burkhart, and recorded by American country music artist Janie Fricke Jane Marie Fricke ( ; born December 19, 1947), known professionally as Janie Fric ...

" for

Janie Fricke Jane Marie Fricke ( ; born December 19, 1947), known professionally as Janie Fricke, is an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and clothing designer. She has placed seventeen singles in the top ten of the ''Billboard'' Ho ...

and " Second Hand Heart" for Gary Morris. He died on December 2, 2016, at the age of 64.

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

*Brennan, Sandra. Mark Grayat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

1952 births 2016 deaths American country singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters Columbia Records artists Singer-songwriters from Mississippi Musicians from Vicksburg, Mississippi Exile (American band) members Country musicians from Mississippi Country musicians from Tennessee Singer-songwriters from Tennessee {{US-country-singer-stub