Mark Daniel Read (born in

Worcester Park Worcester Park is a suburban town in South London, South West London, England. It lies in the Boroughs of London, London boroughs of London Borough of Sutton, Sutton and Royal Borough of Kingston, Kingston, and partly in the Surrey borough of Ep ...

, London on 7 November 1978) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

singer/songwriter, best known as member of the boy band A1 from 1998 to 2002, and 2009 to the present.

Background

Read grew up in a very musical family; his father Keith was in The Wild Angels, a

rock 'n' roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

band. His mother, Pam, played piano and drums as well as being a singer/songwriter. Read began playing piano at the age of two and eventually joined the family band on keyboards at the age of 11, where he would regularly perform in pubs, clubs and hotels across the country. He attended Auriol Junior School and then went on to

Epsom and Ewell High School Epsom and Ewell High School is a secondary school located at Ruxley Lane, Epsom, Surrey, England that opened in 1989. It is a coeducational, academy that educates children from ages 11–18, with over 900 on the roll. It is situated in the b ...

. At the age of 15, Read joined the Songtime Theatre Arts group, where he received training and gained experience in acting. He subsequently took lead roles in several of their productions, including ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...

'' and ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...

''. Between the ages of 15 and 18, Read – along with his parents' band – performed onboard several P&O and

Princess Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

cruise ships. These concerts led took him all around the world, including aboard the liner ''

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

'' as part of the D-Day 50th Anniversary Fleet in 1994. In 2009, he performed A1's hit version of the

A-ha A-ha (usually stylised as ''a-''h''a''; ) is a Norwegian synth-pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. Founded by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars and vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards, guitars and vocals), and Morten Harket (lead vocals), the band ...

song "

Take On Me "Take On Me" is a song by the Norwegian synth-pop band A-ha. The original version, recorded in 1984 and released in October of that same year, was produced by Tony Mansfield and remixed by John Ratcliff. The 1985 international hit version was p ...

" at Saint Edmund's Catholic School in Dover, Kent and also The Astor of Hever Community School in Maidstone, Kent

A1

By the age of 19, Read was spotted at a music venue in

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

, London, by Tim Byrne (manager of UK pop act Steps). At the time, Byrne was looking for suitable members to form a new pop group. It was through this chance encounter that Read went on to receive his first big break, as he would become one of the four members of the chart-topping band A1. Along with band mates

Ben Adams Benjamin “Ben” Edward Stephen Adams (born 22 November 1981) is a British singer and songwriter from Ascot, England, best known as a member of the British-Norwegian boy band A1. Early life Born in Ascot, Adams attended Westminster Under ...

Christian Ingebrigtsen Christian Ingebrigtsen (born 25 January 1977) is a Norwegian singer-songwriter and musician. He is a member of the pop group A1. Biography Ingebrigtsen was born in Oslo, Norway, into a musical family. His father Stein Ingebrigtsen was the ...

and

Paul Marazzi Paul Thomas Leo Marazzi (born 24 January 1975) is a British musician. He is the oldest member of boy band A1. Marazzi was the first to join A1, a British/Norwegian boy band whose first single, "Be the First to Believe", was released in 19 ...

, Read achieved great success across the globe with A1, including two UK numbers 1 singles, 8 top ten hits, 3 studio albums and a Brit Award for Best Newcomer in 2001. Their first number 1 came with their cover of the

song "

" and was soon followed by the self-penned "

Same Old Brand New You "Same Old Brand New You" is a song by British-Norwegian boy band A1. It was released on 6 November 2000 as the second single from their second album, '' The A List''. The single was the band's second and final number one single on the UK Singl ...

". It was announced in 2009 that A1 would reform to compete to represent

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2010 The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was the 55th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Oslo, Norway, following the country's victory at the with the song "Fairytale (Alexander Rybak song), Fairytale" by Alexander Rybak. Organise ...

. They came second in the final, losing out to

Didrik Solli-Tangen Didrik Solli-Tangen (born 11 June 1987) is a Norwegian singer who represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song " My Heart Is Yours". Biography Solli-Tangen was born in Porsgrunn. From his early years he was interested i ...

Solo career

After A1 disbanded in 2002, Read focused on his songwriting and signed a publishing deal with Metrophonic Music, part of the

Universal Music Publishing Group Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) is a North American music publishing company and is part of the Universal Music Group. It was formerly known as MCA Music Publishing until it merged with PolyGram. Universal Music Publishing is the worl ...

. During this time, he earned the opportunity to collaborate with a number of diverse and well respected writers and artists including

Rick Astley Richard Paul Astley (born 6 February 1966) is an English singer, songwriter and radio personality, who has been active in music for several decades. He gained worldwide fame in the 1980s, having multiple hits including his signature song "Ne ...

John Barrowman John Scot Barrowman (born 11 March 1967) is a Scottish-American actor, author, presenter, singer and comic book writer. He is known for his role as Captain Jack Harkness in '' Doctor Who'' and ''Torchwood'', and as Malcolm Merlyn in the Arrow ...

, Joe Brown, Sam Brown,

Charlotte Church Charlotte Maria Church (born Charlotte Maria Reed, 21 February 1986) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, actress, television presenter and political activist from Cardiff. Church rose to fame in childhood as a classical singer before branching i ...

Jarvis Cocker Jarvis Branson Cocker (born 19 September 1963) is an English musician and radio presenter. As the founder, frontman, lyricist and only consistent member of the band Pulp, he became a figurehead of the Britpop genre of the mid-1990s. Following P ...

, Roger Cook,

Jason Donovan Jason Sean Donovan (born 1 June 1968) is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap ''Neighbours'', playing Scott Robinson, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 mi ...

, Rob Davis,

Robin Gibb Robin Hugh Gibb (22 December 1949 – 20 May 2012) was a British singer and songwriter. He gained worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees pop group with elder brother Barry and fraternal twin brother Maurice. Robin Gibb also had his o ...

The Hollies The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke (singer), Allan Clarke and Graham ...

Kenney Jones Kenneth Thomas "Kenney" Jones (born 16 September 1948) is an English drummer best known for his work in the groups Small Faces, Faces, and the Who. Jones was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Small Faces/Faces ...

Ronan Keating Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop group Boyzone. His solo career start ...

Lee Mead Lee Stephen Mead (born 14 July 1981) is an English musical theatre, television actor and occasional singer, best known for winning the title role in the 2007 West End revival of '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' through the BBC T ...

Dennis Morgan Dennis Morgan (born Earl Stanley Morner, December 20, 1908 – September 7, 1994) was an American actor-singer. He used the acting pseudonym Richard Stanley before adopting the name under which he gained his greatest fame. According to one obi ...

Denny Randell Denny Randell (born 1941) is an American songwriter and record producer, who is best known for his songwriting collaborations with Sandy Linzer and Bob Crewe in the 1960s and 1970s. He co-wrote hits including "A Lover's Concerto", "Let's Hang O ...

, Graham Stack, Mark Taylor and several UK

X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

finalists. In 2009, he made an appearance at St' Edmunds Catholic School, Dover, Kent performing his first number one hit from when he was a member of A1, "Take on Me". In March 2009, Read was invited to appear at the

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...

Mum of the Year Awards, where he performed the self-penned track "Greatest Lady in My Life". The song was inspired by his friend's mother and was released as a download single. On 15 June 2009, Read released his debut album, entitled '' Peace at Last''. In 2013, he joined Extreme Robots, acting as co-presenter for their live shows across the UK which at the time used the '' Robot Wars'' brand. As of 2022 he also produces music for their live shows. From December 2015 to January 2016 he played Dandini in ''Cinderella'' at the Pavilion Theatre in

Worthing Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Hov ...

. On 20 December 2017, the launch of Robert J. Sherman's ''

A Spoonful of Sherman ''A Spoonful of Sherman'' is a musical revue which premiered on January 6, 2014 at the St. James Theatre in London and which is currently poised for its first UK/Ireland tour. Originally produced, written and emceed by Robert J. Sherman, ''A Sp ...

'' UK/Ireland tour was announced. On the 25 city tour, Read was a featured performer alongside

Sophie-Louise Dann Sophie-Louise Dann (born 1969) is a British actress, best known for her work in musical theatre. Career Dann trained at Arts Educational Schools, London. She appeared in minor roles in the films ''My Summer with Des'' (1998) and ''The Phantom ...

, Glen Facey and Jenna Innes and Ben Stock. From December 2022 to January 2023 he played Prince Louis in ''Jack and the Beanstalk'' at the Pavilion Theatre in

Discography

; with A1 * '' Here We Come'' (1999) * '' The A list'' (2000) * '' Make It Good'' (2002) * ''A1'' (U.S. E.P.) (2002) * '' The Best of a1'' (2004) * ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' (2009) * '' Waiting for Daylight'' (2010) * '' Rediscovered'' (2012) ; Solo * ''Peace at Last'' (2009)

References

External links

Official websiteMyspace page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Read, Mark 1978 births Living people English male singers English pop singers English songwriters A1 (band) members Singers from London