Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush
'When I was a kid and I first heard Frank Marino, I was stunned. His technique and tone was smooth yet aggressive. He is a very powerful performer and was an inspiration to me at a critical time in my musical evolution.'-Steve Vai FRANK MARINO needs no introduction. He is one of the world's best guitar players and a Canadian icon. He's sold millions of records and played to big crowds during his long and fruitful career.
To say that Marino excels in a live environment is an understatement! REAL LIVE is a brand new FRANK MARINO & MAHOGANY RUSH live double record recorded at Montreal's Club Soda on the EYE OF THE STORM tour. The power of Marino live is the stuff of legend and he certainly lives up to his reputation on this new album. Marino's live records are historically amazing sellers and REAL LIVE is, in the words of the artist himself, 'my favorite record! ' Canadian tour dates will be announced shortly and extensive promotion and marketing will back this amazing release. Marino is one of the first Montreal artists to go International. All hail the return of the Master! He is mentioned in the same breath as Johnny Winter, Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana and other extraordinary guitarists. He is said to be one of the greatest guitarists ever.
His name is Frank Marino; Born in Montreal on November 20th 1954. An excellent self-taught drummer prior to his 10th birthday. Picked up the guitar for the first time at the age of 13 while in hospital as a means of therapy (circa 1968). Upon his discharge from hospital Frank began 'jamming' with various musicians in and around Montreal using a name that Frank had chosen; Mahogany Rush, which was more an allusion to an experience than a musical group. By 1971, Frank's now famed Mahogany Rush was making a name for itself outside of the Montreal area, in fact the band began to have a following throughout the United States and beyond. The group became the first Canadian 'hard rock trio', blazing the path for groups like RUSH and Triumph that followed. The group became one of the first Canadian bands to break into the U.S. market, where they continue to have a huge following. They were also one of the first to achieve International stardom, playing to huge crowds in Japan, Germany, England, Sweden and across the globe.
In late 1971, at the age of 16, just prior to his 17th birthday, Marino began recording his 1st album, 'MAXOOM', on KoTai Records (a local label headed by Robert Nickford). Marino began showing signs of being a prolific songwriter and producer, constantly coming up with new ideas and ways to present them musically. Albums number 2 and 3 were done for the 20th Century Fox Label. Marino's brainchild quickly grew a devoted fan following and would regularly play to sold out crowds. By the time he signed with Columbia Records (and released his 4th album, his 1st for Columbia) the band had already grown too popular for smaller venues and was playing to sold-out arenas and stadiums throughout North America. Playing to 20,000 plus fans was the norm. Interestingly, the band had a larger fan base outside of Canada than within. Frank Marino was regularly flooring fans throughout the USA with his guitar prowess.
The record deal with Columbia saw a total of 7 albums released (albums # 4 through 10 for the band). By the 2nd Columbia album, 'World Anthem' the group had, at the request of the label and Manager (Davis Krebs) altered its name to Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush due to Frank's growing reputation as one of rock's greatest guitarists. 1978 would see the band playing for more than an hour to over 330,000 fans at California Jam 2. Like The Grateful Dead and Canadian bands like The Wackers, Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush proved to be even more successful as a live act than they were on any of their numerous LPs.
After Columbia Records, Marino went on to release album numbers 11, 12 and 13 between 1988 and 1996. The lineup had changed a few times over the years, but the band never seemed to miss a beat. Frank Marino also released two albums without using the Mahogany Rush moniker in 1986 and 1990 respectively.
Frank became a world renowned and respected guitarist with regular television appearances on shows like Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, The Midnight Special, and The Pop (Japan TV). 2001 finally sees the release of 'EYE OF THE STORM', MARINO's 16th album. Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush began their triumphant return to the stage when they played to a sold out crowd at The Spectrum in Montreal Canada on Friday June 2nd, 2000. He then was requested to fly off to Sweden and perform at one of the world's largest rock festivals. Over a two-day period he shared the stage with the likes of DIO, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, ALICE COOPER, and MOLLY HATCHET providing all present with proof that the Master of the Guitar was most definitely back!
