Mark Alan Stuart (born April 14, 1968) is an American missionary and former
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...
musician, singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist for the Christian rock band
Audio Adrenaline
Audio Adrenaline was an American Christian rock band that formed in 1986 at Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Kentucky. The band gained recognition during the 1990s and received two Grammy Awards and multiple Dove Awards. Audio Adren ...
during their original run from 1986 to 2007. Mark has won 2
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
and has been nominated for 6.
Audio Adrenaline
Mark Stuart met the original
guitarist
A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...
and
bassist
A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...
for Audio Adrenaline, Barry Blair and
Will McGinniss
Audio Adrenaline was an American Christian rock band that formed in 1986 at Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Kentucky. The band gained recognition during the 1990s and received two Grammy Awards and multiple Dove Awards. Audio Adren ...
, while attending Kentucky Christian College (now known as
Kentucky Christian University
Kentucky Christian University (KCU) is a private Christian university in Grayson, Kentucky. It was founded on December 1, 1919, as Christian Normal Institute, by J. W. Lusby and J. O. Snodgrass. As a "normal school" its programs included a hi ...
). Barry Blair was Mark's roommate for three years. They founded the band in 1986 under the name of A-180. However, they temporarily disbanded the next year when Mark went to
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
for a semester. When he returned to Kentucky, the band reformed and recruited
Bob Herdman
Robert Vaughn Herdman (born March 8, 1966) is a Christian musician, songwriter and producer more known for being a member of the band Audio Adrenaline.
Life and career
Herdman grew up in Lynchburg, a rural town in the southwest part of Ohio. At ...
, who brought them two songs to record. After they did, they changed their name to Audio Adrenaline and signed a deal with
Forefront Records
ForeFront Records is a contemporary Christian music and Christian rock record label founded in 1987 by Dan R. Brock, Eddie DeGarmo, Dana Key, and Ron W. Griffin. It was purchased by EMI in 1996 from Dan R. Brock and Eddie DeGarmo, and is a divis ...
. After more than twenty years of success with the band and eight studio albums, Stuart decided to retire in January 2006. The primary reason cited was Stuart's "ongoing vocal challenges" stemming from vocal cord damage caused by a disorder known as
spasmodic dysphonia
Spasmodic dysphonia, also known as laryngeal dystonia, is a disorder in which the muscles that generate a person's voice go into periods of spasm. This results in breaks or interruptions in the voice, often every few sentences, which can make a pe ...
.
After Audio Adrenaline
Stuart and Will McGinniss of Audio Adrenaline started a project called
Know Hope Collective. The project features a changing group of musicians that sing worship songs and present testimonies.
Personal life
Stuart married Kerri McKeehan, sister of
TobyMac
Toby McKeehan (born Kevin Michael McKeehan; October 22, 1964), better known by his stage name TobyMac (styled tobyMac or TOBYMAC), is an American contemporary Christian music singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He was first known f ...
, in 1995. The two later divorced. He and his second wife, Aegis, have two adopted children.
Missionary work
Stuart has visited Haiti consistently to help with missionary efforts. Stuart and McGinniss started
the Hands and Feet Project, a nonprofit charity that funds orphanages in Haiti, in 2003.
On January 12, 2010, Stuart, his parents, and his wife Aegis were working at the Hands and Feet Project in
Jacmel
Jacmel (; ht, Jakmèl) is a commune in southern Haiti founded by the Spanish in 1504 and repopulated by the French in 1698. It is the capital of the department of Sud-Est, 24 miles (39 km) southwest of Port-au-Prince across the Tiburon Peninsula ...
,
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
when the
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...
struck
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...
. None at the Project were injured by the quake, and Stuart was interviewed by media outlets such as
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
,
MSNBC
MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...
and
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, among others. He assisted with relief efforts in
until returning to the U.S. on January 22, when he continued to assist by raising funds through continued coordination of relief efforts and organization of benefit concerts.