Mother Kelly - Mark Swenson
Mark Swenson
Mark Swenson - drums, vocals. Mark is a product of the
Oklahoma rock scene, playing in numerous bands over the years like Sunshine,
Chilly Willy, Crash, and Ezra. Mark and Tommy first started playing together in
high school.
Mark Swenson - Mark is an Oklahoma native of Swedish
inheritance. Growing up observing his sisters watching the Beatles on TV, rock n
roll was a natural path as an obvious outlet to expression. His Father taught
him to play guitar at age 11, along with his older brother. Soon they were
trying to form a band. At age 13, a friend, Eddie Pruett, taught him how to keep
a beat on the drums. Eddie was a profound drummer playing with his brother Bert.
Mark picked it up and, at age 14, joined his first band, Psychedelic Sunshine,
along with his brother Danny, Dusty McCullough, Dicky Canady, and Bodie Harris.
Psychedelic Sunshine evolved to Sunshine, with numerous member changes, to
Chilly Willy Rock Show, a band that achieved limited notoriety as a WKY radio,
TV band, traveling the state doing shows for disc jockey Ronnie Kaye and "The
Scene" TV show. The club scene also evolved in this time period, with club dates
up to six nights a week.
Over the years, Mark played with musicians such as Dicky Canady, Jim Suter, Alan
Eggleston, Doug Doty, Melvin Glover, Vick Sullivan, and David DelTorto, with
influences of almost every band and musician he has heard. Bands have included
Chilly Willy, Crash, Ezra, and many that can't even be recalled.
Mark met Tommy in grade school and by high school, Tommy became the front man
for Chilly Willy. They went on playing in many bands, together and separately
over the years. In 2007, they came back together to form Mother Kelly, along
with long time fellow musician Gene Richardson, and guitarist Fred Meek. Chuck
Tillman would ultimately join the band to round out the line up.
Mark's drumming influences include Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Jamie Oldaker, John
Bonham, and most drummer's he has ever observed. He is a Libra and his favorite
color is blue.
Home |Tommy Keith Jenkins |
Mark Swenson | Gene Richardson | Fred Meek
