David Marks is one of the last true rock and roll heroes whose story somehow went untold…until now.” – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
David Marks began playing music with his neighbors, the Wilson brothers, in 1958 when he was 10 years old. When Brian Wilson began using that electric Rock and Roll foundation to support his intricate vocal harmonies, an exciting new sound was created.
In spring 1962 Capitol Records acquired a demo recording of the songs Surfin’ Safari and 409 performed by The Beach Boys, which upon release became a massive national hit. Over the course of the next two years they would evolve into America’s top rock act. In only 18 months they recorded an astonishing four classic studio albums that included some of rock music’s most beloved anthems such as Surfin’ Safari,Surfin’ USA, Catch a Wave, Surfer Girl,In My Room, 409, Shut Down, Little Deuce Coupe and Be True to You School. And it was during these first years that the enduring image of five smiling Pendleton clad guys, carrying a surfboard on a California beach, was forever ingrained as the iconic image of American music – defining the band in the public’s eye for decades to come.
David Marks was part of all of that, and then in late 1963 at 15 years of age he walked away from the Beach Boys at the very height of their initial wave of success. While his time in the band may have been short, he was there as the band rose from a local curiosity to the top of the Billboard charts and he was there when the Beach Boys created their trademark sound, one that still resonates to this day on radio, and in television and movies. The impact David Marks’ “Toes on the Nose” Fender Stratocaster had on generations of future guitarists is undeniable.
David went on to record solo material for A&M, Warner Brothers, Imperial and Dot Records all before he was 21 years old. Three of his post Beach Boys bands, David Marks and the Marksmen, Colours, and The Moon, enjoy significant cult followings today and are especially popular among the 1960s era music aficionados. David later studied at some of the finest music schools in Boston and had a successful career as a respected Los Angeles based studio musician. David has played with some of the greatest talents of this generation in the varied genres of surf, psych-pop, jazz, blues, classical and rock and roll, – all without trading on his notoriety as an ex-Beach Boy, choosing instead to remain out of the spot light as an anonymous, working guitarist.
David Marks finally accepted his place as an original member of the Beach Boys in 1997 when he rejoined the band for a two-year tour. After a diagnosis of Hepatitis C in 1999 forced him to quit the Beach Boys for a second time, David committed himself to getting healthy. He beat the virus in 2004. During that time, David lent his name to the cause, becoming the official spokesman of several awareness campaigns throughout the US and UK.
In 2005, at the request of the Wilson family, David Marks was included on the State ofCalifornia historical landmark placed in the old neighborhood where their houses once stood. The statue, which features the same iconic image shot on the beach in 1962 of the Pendelton clad boys, literally and forever cemented David’s place in the history of the Beach Boys.
The following year, all five surviving Beach Boys reunited at the Capitol Records tower to celebrate 2 million sales of the Sounds of Summer compilation CD. In the Spring of 2008, David toured the UK with the Beach Boys and continues to perform with the band on occasion.
David is currently residing in New York, where he continues to write and record new music. He is currently finishing a collection of songs titled The Circle Continues and is set to release a live CD called Summertime Blue s Live .When not in the studio, David performs solo shows, as well as with fellow ex-Beach Boy Al Jardine and Dean Torrence of Jan & Dean as the Legends of Surf Music. In December 2011, Capitol Records announced a Beach Boys reuinion celebration to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the band. The five surviving Beach Boys, including David Marks, will embark on a 50-date world tour and new studio album.
