Mark Wills - 《美国流行乡村音乐选》

1973年8月8日出生于田纳西州克里夫兰市的Mark Wills，年轻时对于摇滚音乐情有独钟，但步入成年之后，他对音乐的兴趣开始逐步转移到了流行乡村的风格上。在他17岁时，他参加了一个小规模的歌唱比赛并一举夺魁，很快开始了他一周五个晚上在酒吧驻唱的演绎生涯。这样的日子持续了5年之后，在一次表演中，Mark Wills被经纪人Carson Chamberlain和Keith Stegall相中，很快的为他争取到了Mercury Record Nashville的歌手合同，并于1996年底推出了他的同名处女专辑《Mark Wills》，取得了乡村类专辑销量排行榜的38名，从此开始了他的乡村音乐之路。

Mark Wills饱含深情的嗓音为他赢取了无数的赞誉和美名，并缔造出了"I Do (Cherish You),""Don't Laugh at Me,""Places I've Never Been", “Back at One”等经典曲目，值得听者细细品味，一听再听。
Although he didn't quite achieve the fame or sales of new country contemporaries as Tim McGraw or Clay Walker, Mark Wills earned a respectable following and strong reviews following the release of his eponymous 1996 debut album. As a teenager in the small town of Blue Ridge, GA, Wills was fond of pop-metal bands like Poison and Bon Jovi, and throughout his teens he played in metal garage bands. But as he became an adult, his tastes shifted toward country-pop and new traditionalist country. Considering that he grew up around country music, singing it both at home and in church as a small boy, this wasn't surprising. At the age of 17, he entered a talent show at the Buckboard Country Music Showcase in nearby Marietta. He won the contest, which quickly led to weekly performances at the Buckboard. For five years, he played at the club five nights a week. In addition to his regular shows, he began singing on demo tapes in the Atlanta area, eventually working his way into the Nashville demos circuit. At one of his Buckboard shows, he was spotted by Carson Chamberlain and Keith Stegall, who helped him secure a contract with Mercury Nashville. Chamberlain and Stegall produced Wills' eponymous debut album, which was released in the fall of 1996. The record became a moderate hit, peaking at number 38 on the country charts. Wish You Were Here followed in 1998, and in early 2000 Wills returned with Permanently.