Marcus Malone is a skilled guitar player who has been active in the music industry for several years. He has played with various bands and musicians, showcasing his talent and versatility. Malone’s style is characterized by his ability to seamlessly blend different genres, including blues, rock, and jazz. He is known for his technical proficiency and his ability to improvise on the spot. Malone’s contributions to the music industry have earned him a loyal fan base and the respect of his peers. Today we are Interviewing guitarist Malone but here some of his latest work with Pete Feenstra’s Lyrics and the guitar of Muddy Muddy Manninen.
They say sunshine is good for the soul and Marcus Malone’s music is a good substitute for the sunshine in rainy old England. The Detroit-born guitarist had a few things to say to us here on guitardoor about his previous works and an upcoming album with a recently formed black pearl.
When George Clinton asked, “What is Soul?” It could easily have been answered by saying “Marcus Malone”.
Life Circumstances and the timing finally brought Marcus and me together on this project. I was pleased to learn about his personality. It was summed up in one of our emails that he wanted to make sure he fit our format here. He didn’t want to claim Virtuosity.
“I do play guitar but I’m primarily a vocalist with the guitar as a secondary instrument. I always have a main guitarist like Innes Sibun at the moment and am also writing and planning on touring with Muddy Manninen.”
However, 7 seconds of a song like “Rolling Stone” will let you know Marcus is a very capable Riff Master.
Rolling Stone (Malone) – Malone Sibun Band @ The Musician Venue
In his home of Detroit, Michigan he heard all manner of music. Some in the Church and some from a dressing room were underage he found himself in the same show with Bobby Blue Bland and B.B. King. He wasn’t allowed to leave the room except to hit the stage and then be ushered off.
Marcus provided me with excerpts from an interview with Pete Clack. It’s Marcus on Marcus, No better source than words from the man himself.
“Having a good manager who was a concert promoter for most of the large venues and theatres in Detroit was very helpful in my musical journey and coming of age.
We (The Marcus Band) opened up for Iggy and the Stooges, Bob Segar, New York Dolls, Ted Nugent, Chuck Berry, Chubby Checker, David Ruffin, and tons of other touring bands passing through Detroit.”
He was a member of Mitch Ryder “s Detroit Wheels. “I had gone to a couple of after-hour jams in East Detroit before pursuing my own band with Gene Black (Heart, Joe Cocker) and the bass player from the Wheels approached me about putting a new version of the Wheels together as Mitch was leaving.
It was my first well-paid gig and an early education about the rough side of rock n’ roll. We played 7 nights a week at a place in East Detroit called Sexy Sadies. The venue was as decadent as the name. Packed with stoners, drug addicts, groupies, and great rock musicians.
The Hodge Brothers, The Rockets, and tons of great players passed through the revolving door until they lost their license and were shut down. A real eye-opener for me and the beginning of my pursuit to put my own rock band together.
I still loved Motown but I needed to express myself in a much ‘heavier’ form. I made my way to Ann Arbor, home of the MC5, Iggy Pop, and SCR.. punk was alive and well.
I put my first band together there and started doing cover gigs in the Detroit suburbs. At first ZZ Top, Aerosmith, Bowie, Allman Bros, and then we started writing our own songs along the same line as the bands we were covering so people wouldn’t notice we were doing originals (especially the club owners).
We recorded a demo that was heard by Ike Turner and his management and after flying to Detroit to see us, he paid for us to come to LA where we were signed by his (Ike’s) label – United Artist Records which is now EMI Capitol.. “
Marcus Malone band: Let The Sunshine In
Tough music runs in the very blood of Detroit. No Fakers allowed. I have found that if you can win over an audience of one in Detroit then you can make it happen anywhere. So That’s what Marcus did.
He went across the Pond and in short order found himself playing the Royal Albert Hall with B.B. King. He was free to leave the dressing room this round.
Over the years he has been involved in self-releasing his records under the “Red Line Records” umbrella. Marcus stated in clarity” I’ve been self-releasing all my albums in the UK so far.
I do this in the name of Redline Music. I can therefore do what I want and take whatever risks. With the latest projects, I’ve been working on it seems I have some small label interest which is cool. So looking forward to working with a label that can take care of the business and I can do more music.
Currently, he has many records available, and as he explained to “Blues In Britain” magazine …
“Well during ‘Lockdown’ which pretty much was a ‘Shutdown’ of live music I concentrated on new and old avenues of collaboration with
musicians in the UK and US.
Unfortunately, the Malone Sibun Album was released one week before Lockdown which was very disheartening for us having spent a small fortune on advertising and promoting gigs in the UK and EU, only to have them all canceled.
So I have co-written an EP with Innes which will be released at the beginning of the year and we have a few gigs coming back to us. We had some gigs in the EU but as things are going at this point with ‘the virus’, they may not happen.
Limelight in Aylesbury in Jan and the Riverside Rhythm Club in Gillingham 3 February and a few more live gigs in March and April will hopefully not be moved or canceled.”
“I’ve collaborated with a couple of other songwriters (Muddy Manninen- guitarist and Pete Feenstra – lyricist) to form a group, Black Pearl. We’ve completed an album we hope to get signed and released early next year.”
Malone Sibun Band @ Colne The Great British R&B FestiVAL
Marcus Lives in the U.K. but his Heart is still in Detroit. He shares the soul he found there with the rest of the world. He is an entertainer equal to anyone. Blues, Soul, and what could be considered Classic Rock. It’s all music and he is a Mighty force.
Malones Music on the Black Pearl Album 2022
Malone is currently a member of Black Pearl a contemporary blues rock collaboration between himself and the moved-on from wishbone ash guitarist Muddy Manninen who was featured in the freeing the firebird article interview along with songs co-written by our friend Pete Feenstra. This is a short compilation of their music in a promo video for the self-titled album Black Pearl.
https://www.marcusmalone.com/index.html
Marcus Malone And Pete Feenstra on the Mike Wagner Show
Finally we are leaving you with this chat on the Mike Wagner show with Pete Feenstra and Marcus Malone where they talk about their works and upcoming shows and events.
