Mark Pertain has been writing and playing country/pop music for the last 25 years. Born into a musical family, he can’t remember a time when he did not want to sing or play. His dad was a military officer that loved the big band sounds of Glenn Miller and all the of the swing era groups. His mom’s favorites were country crooners Jim Reeves, Sonny James and Marty Robbins. During his grade school days he taught himself to sing and play drums and went through the predictable rock-n-roll phase. "I worked as a singing drummer into my early adult years, and played in several really good rock bands, but I have loved country music since I was a kid (it suited my voice much better) and wanted to write songs". "So I bought a guitar in about 1983 and went out and got a gig!!!", Mark says. "I basically learned on the job, and played for most of the '80's in acoustic duos and as a solo performer, playing country and acoustic pop hits of the day. I also got serious about songwriting during this time."

In the late '80's and early ‘90’s he recorded songs in Nashville, both as a hopeful artist and as a demo singer, while also singing and playing as a house band member in some of Atlanta's most famous honky-tonks, such as The Buckboard Country Music Showcase, The Scootin' Boot, Mama's Country Showcase and Cowboy's. It was at the Buckboard that he shared the stage with up and coming country acts such as Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson and Vince Gill. Mark also got very close to landing a major label deal of his own during this period. As he puts it, "I always zigged when I should have zagged!!"

After his father's death in '94 he was about to quit music altogether when he was asked to join Cadillac Ranch, a very popular special events/convention band that traveled extensively, opening for, and backing up impersonators of popular country artists. With the help of the band and their management, Mark recorded his first CD for an independent label. The band then began to backup Mark for shows all over the Southeast. It was during this time that Cadillac Ranch itself became quite a nightclub draw on it's own, too. The CD that resulted found Mark in yet another serious development situation with a major label producer in Nashville. But it was not to be. By 1998 the record labels were glutted with country acts, and their popularity was waning, falling back from the boom in the early '90's. After image changes, countless Nashville demos and numerous dissapointments, Mark quit the band, and effectively retired from the "business" in 1999. But maybe things worked out for the best. "I spent just enough time on a tour bus traveling around the country to realize I would miss my family too much to live that kind of life", he says. "I had also put my songwriting on hold".

These days, Mark plays acoustic guitar and sings in the 9:39 Band, a contemporary praise group at Due West United Methodist church in Marietta, GA.  He also concentrates on writing what he hopes are good commercial country/pop/Americana songs. "I truly love watching something evolve from an idea to a finished product", he says and has a 24-track digital production studio he jokingly calls "Spare Tyme Studios" in his dining room at home to record his ideas. He enjoys showcasing his songs whenever possible in local coffeehouses, and still has hopes of getting some of his songs cut by a major artist.

He currently lives in Acworth Georgia with his wife and 3 kids.

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