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    A True Texas Troubadour who's spent most of his life sharing songs and stories across the Lone Star State, Mark Allan Atwood has been a part of Texas' musical landscape since the summer of 1980. As a songwriting obsessed 18 yr old from Ennis, he began showing up at songwriter showcases on Dallas stages. The works of Kristofferson, BW Stevenson, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, and many more, captured his imagination as a kid, and influenced his understanding of what he wanted to say, and how to say it. Hanging around the songwriter haunts of the Dallas folkie scene, he was able to watch, listen, and learn from a community of gifted songtellers. 

    Over the years, Atwood has shared stages, bills, and even served as tour support for a number of great artists across many genres, including Turnpike Troubadours, Tesla, John Conlee, Great White, Joe Ely, Three Doors Down, Aaron Lewis, Zakk Wylde, and a variety of many more. 

    A 4-time Texas Music Awards recipient (Rising Star 2010, Founder's Award 2011, Male Vocalist 2013, and Live Artist of the Year 2014), Atwood has scored a handful of regional Texas radio hits from 5 full-length albums of original work, including the award winning debut How Country in 2009, the Atwood-Childs duo album Trading Pains in 2010, two Adam Odor produced albums with Mark Allan Atwood & Brimstone, Burned At The Crossroads and Alive & Well 2012 and 2013 respectively, and his latest, Old Scars & Sandbars, in March of 2023. "Happy Thoughts" and "Pedal Down Life," from Old Scars, were both popular singles, reaching new heights in radio spins and streaming numbers.

    A resident of  "Almost Mexico" (South Padre Island), since 2016, after playing over a thousand shows to tourists and visitors from across the U.S., Atwood has been back on the highways across Texas and Oklahoma weekly, since the summer of '22, sharing new and old songs and stories, of love and loss, right and wrong, and an occasional bit of poetry about June Bugs. 

BELOW ARE LINKS TO SPOTIFY AND YOUTUBE, OF MY STUDIO AND LIVE RECORDINGS, AS WELL AS LIVE VIDEO. YOU CAN SEE MORE ON THE VIDEOS & PICS PAGE 

Old Scars & Sandbars is once again, after a 2-month absence, back on ALL your favorite streaming platforms. Originally released in March 2023, it has been reissued, under my full control, May 2025.

Written by beloved and acclaimed Texas songwriter Mike Ethan Messick, recorded live under the production of Grammy Award* winner Adam Odor (*received for his live engineering work with the Dixie Chicks), from the live half of Mark Allan Atwood & Brimstone's award winning 2013 album "Alive & Well," (TMA Live Band of the Year 2014) this tune was the fourth of four consecutive singles from Alive & Well  to reach #40 or higher on all charts tracking Texas radio.

My highest charting single to date, One Horse was written by the most frequent collaborator I've ever had, Heath Childs, and features Bart Crow and myself on vocals. Still one of my most requested and recognized songs at live shows. From the 1/2 studio, 1/2 live Brimstone album Alive & Well.

Island Man, the first radio single, from the "Old Scars & Sand Bars" album, a 12 song collection of tunes I wanted to put on previous albums (the old scars), and ones I've written since living between the Laguna Madre Bay and the Gulf of Mexico (the sand bars). Also the first song I wrote, after becoming an "island man," in Jan 2016. Topped out at #48 on the Texas Internet Radio Chart in 2023, as a "howdy, how ya been," after not releasing anything since early 2014. 

Ghost, named one of Galleywinter's Top 200 Texas Country Songs  of all time, and still one of the most requested, this video is from 5/26/11 at the Marble Theater in Marble Falls, TX alongside Heath Childs, Mike Ethan Messick, Kevin Higgins, and John Arthur Martinez. Shot by Texas Red Productions. 

~ Award Winning Singer/Songwriter, active across Texas since 1980, as a Solo performer, as a vocalist/songwriter/frontman for popular TX bands spanning the rock, country, and Americana genres, including Texas Music Awards 2014 Live Band of the Year - Mark Allan Atwood & Brimstone, and MAA & Texadillo Revue, the current band, performing from a trio up to an 8 pc. band configuration.

~ MAA's Songtellers Series is a traveling all-star songswap series, featuring some of Atwood's talented  friends. Guests featured over the years include Matt Hillyer, Courtney Patton, Tommy Alverson, Randy Brown, Pauline Reese, John Arthur Martinez, Drew Kennedy, and many more gifted storytelling songwriters, for both one-off shows and established series, from D/FW, to the Hill Country, to South Padre Island.

~ 30+ yrs of support shows for gold/platinum selling national artists, spanning the rock, pop, country, and Americana genres, as both a one-off, and on multiple tour dates,.

~ Four-time Texas Music Awards recipient, including 2013 Male Vocalist of the Year

~ Texas Music Scene Television, featured in 3 episodes (2020/2022), TMS is a 15 yr, nationally syndicated show, focused on Texas Music and the artists who make it. MAA's most recent episode aired February 2022, and is linked here.

~ Four Top 40, Six Top 100 singles on the TRRR chart and three top 40 singles on the TIRC, from five full-length albums.

 "This (Burned At The Crossroads) is one of the best albums I've heard period, in 7 or 8 years. I'll fight anyone who says this is not a great album!"  - Ed Spacek, The Spacek Company 

 "Mark Allan Atwood has a voice that will throw you back into the old Southern Rock era. His rough and rowdy writing style is perfect for the Texas/Red Dirt scene. Gritty, yet clean. Rough, yet smooth. Give him a listen, The Allman Brothers and Skynyrd would BOTH be proud!" - Jim Nash, Program Director and 'Morning Revolution' on 106.9 FM The Ranch Corsicana, TX

 "Mark Allan Atwood is a True Texas Hippie Honky-Tonker, great new record out, can drink me under the table, and a great live show, with tunes with substance." Brett Dillon - KHYI 95.3FM The Range Dallas, TX

 "I think Mark has one of the nicest voices in Country." Dash Crofts of Seals & Crofts

 "Burned At The Crossroads from Mark Allan Atwood & Brimstone is a solid country album, mixed with some rock, sharing organic songs." Tom Geddie, Buddy Magazine, Dallas, TX

Review of Burned At The Crossroads, Dave Wheaton of 105.1 KEAN FM, Abilene, TX Aug. 2012:

Mark Allan Atwood is a classic hard working, hard playing Texas artist. He's been plugging away, playing anywhere that will let him, doing what he loves for the better part of three decades. Along with his band, Brimstone, Atwood serves up a unique sound to the Texas music landscape with the release of "Burned At The Crossroads".

First and foremost, it has to be said that most of this CD is not for those who wish to be sheltered from stories of hard living. For the most part, "Burned At The Crossroads" is a true outlaw country, smoking, drinking, opinionated tribute to a way of life that wouldn't get a stamp of approval by many preachers. Sure, there's the  ballad "Anyone Listening" that shares the softer side of Atwood's personality. But songs like the opening track, "Good Old Days", "And Whiskey" and "From The Water" are cut straight from the Willie, Waylon and Kris mold of the early Outlaw movement.

Atwood hits on his southern rock influences as well, with "Liar" holding on to a distinct Stevie Ray Vaughan influence with a clever piano solo twist from keyboardist Mitch Connell. "Strong Enough" is a songwriter's special that starts off outlaw, and finishes rock. You have to hear it to understand. But to mention the clear influences doesn't speak to the uniqueness of this CD. "Burned At The Crossroads" really has a feel that is all its own.

Vocally, this is the best I've heard Mark. I guess over the years, he has developed a depth to his voice that captures the emotion of each song on "Burned At The Crossroads". The entire CD is a solid body of work that Atwood, Brimstone, and producer Adam Odor should be proud of.

It's also worth mentioning that Mark Allan Atwood is himself an interesting character. He's never been one to mince words (or lyrics), and always has an opinion that makes for very interesting conversation. He also has an interesting story to tell. For all the years he's been running down gigs on Texas highways and backroads, "Burned At The Crossroads" is only Atwood's third studio album. He was given a Texas Music Award for "Rising Star" in 2010 (he was 48 at the time, ironically), and has continued to make improvements on his music and songwriting. And on top of his past, present, and future accomplishments, Mark is a really great guy. He supports fellow musicians like they are his brothers and sisters and lends his talents to charity events at the drop of a hat. In short, Mark Allan Atwood is a man of integrity.

You can either buy "Burned At The Crossroads" because it's a real good CD, or you can buy it because Mark is a real good guy. Take your pick.

MyTexasMusic.com Review of Mark Allan Atwood's How Country  by Lucky Boyd Co-founder, ©2009
"I peeled back the cover of this CD and found a rock star doing a country album. It worked for me. Mark Allan Atwood has the soul of a rocker and the voice of a successful country singer. Atwood brings his love for harder styles and his powerful voice to a collection of relatable and entertaining tunes. Atwood pens the lion’s share of the album, with a lone cover of Kristofferson’s “Jesus Was A Capricorn.” The songwriting on the album is direct and allows listeners to take a ride around life with Atwood as he sings about his travels as a performer. Musicians who hear the CD will understand a few of the inside jokes that others might not readily connect with. The album opens with “Honkytonk Blues” (no, not that one) but a good one, in which Atwood pays tribute to getting it done out on the road. “Full Of It” is a hilarious look at touring musicians in general and as you might have assumed, the title could be missing a couple of letters. Clever. Atwood’s title cut is an anthem for all who have every played songs for money that they would never play otherwise. It’s also a tribute to Atwood’s own ability to morph into the performer he’s expected to be all for the sake of pleasing the crowd. Noble. “Hurricane Wind” (no, not that one) is Atwood’s heartbreak song, and is a great example of his rock roots, featuring his most dynamic vocal performance. “Kill My Guitar” is a guitar player’s lament, blaming all of life’s problems on the guitar. Symbolic for all that ills most musicians, the guitar takes the fall for our hero’s little failures. The guitar takes its revenge during the solo. Clever again. One of the most well-conceived cuts is “Oakalla Road” which is wrapped in a comfortable ‘bojangles’ rhythm that endears the listener to the abstract visionary so expertly generated in the lyrics. “Modern Day Bonnie And Clyde” (no, not that one) is a favorite of the album. The arrangement is thumping and contagious like a Golden Earring tune. You shouldn’t use your CD player’s shuffle feature when listening to this disc. You have to experience the progression of the album as Atwood shows you how country he can be in the beginning and then about the time he asks “how country do you want your country” the gears shift and Atwood falls seamlessly into his impassioned genre. The album wraps up with its most hilarious track, poking fun at America’s obsession with political paranoia. This is one of the most entertaining releases of the year. There’s something for everyone here, but get your travelin’ shoes on. Once you’ve heard the disc, you’ll stop at nothing until you can catch a live show."

Live Central Texas Music Review of Mark Allan Atwood's How Country, by  Julie Mercier Owner of Live Central Texas Music

"This is the much anticipated and talked about initial CD from a long time musician, and his first in a decidely country vein. It features 10 original songs varying from tender ballads to full out rocking anthems. It is also not a CD full of the typical country cliches, either. Instead it is a fun, rollicking ride through the life of a professional musician who has a great sense of humor and can certainly laugh at himself. Mark Allan Atwood may have spent the better part of 20 years as a heavy metal rocker but his roots are definitely outlaw country and it is very evident both in his performance and style of writing.

For a laugh, listen to the playful “Full of It” or the wistful “Gonna Kill My Guitar” and catch glimpses of a musician’s life on the road. “Lonely Highway” is sad, pensive, and haunting all at the same time, filled with pain and solitude. “Oakalla Road” is a gem of a song about a tiny road out in the Texas Hill Country, and is just plain beautiful with a lilting lead guitar riff from Robert Johnson and the piano work of Uncle Mitch Connell. For a solid, rocking anthem, don’t miss “Modern Day Bonnie & Clyde” – a regular request at all of Mark’s shows and favorite of the fans.

The musicians on this CD really make it stand out as an initial effort. You will find incredible, seamless lead guitar work from Robert Johnson (Robert Johnson’s Soul), Rhoades D’ablo, Dennis Phillips (Redneck Jedi along with being the producer), Chris Reeves (john Arthur martinez as well as his own band), Tim Rozelle, as well as Mick McMillan and Wayne O’Neill. Keith Scroggins is solid on bass, with Johnny Reb Kelsey and Stephen Meyer providing a steady pulse on drums. Emmett Roch on dobro and pedal steel guitars and Dean Rimmer on banjo add elegant touches throughout the selections. You can’t ignore Mark’s harmonica playing, either.

The only criticism I have of this release is that it feels a bit short. For once I am faced with not quite having enough of a meal, and I want more. I have heard lesser CDs from other Texas bands and felt satisfied after a few cuts. On this one, even though I have heard all of these songs from this band live, I wanted to hear more and will look forward to their next release as much as I have this one. The maturity and growth of this band has been amazing to listen to, and I want to see where they go next!"

Most dates listed on the Show Dates page, unless noted, are solo performances.
MAA & Texadillo Revue shows, ranging from a Trio, to 4 or more pieces, are available with adequate advance notice. 

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