Mark Morrison

Mark Morrison was the most successful British R&B singer of the mid-90s. His breakthrough single, RETURN OF THE MACK became a Top Ten hit worldwide in 1996, and opened the US market for him the following year. Although he became a commercial success overnight, his career was plagued by run-ins with the law that prevented him from consolidating his position as a superstar. Born in Hanover, Germany, to Barbadian parentage, Morrison lived in Leicester, before moving to Florida, US, at a young age, where he discovered his love for music. In mid 1995 he released his debut single CRAZY, which became a Top-20 hit in the UK, and LET’S GET DOWN, the swing beat summer jam, entering the Top-40. They were followed in the spring of 1996 by the aforementioned RETURN OF THE MACK, which became a smash hit worldwide, spending two weeks at number one in the UK charts. Morrison became the first black male solo artist to reach number one in the 90s. His debut album, also titled RETURN OF THE MACK followed, and became a multi-platinum success. It reached number four in the UK chart, and sold 3 million albums worldwide. It spun off several more hit singles over the next year. CRAZY (RE-MIX), TRIPPIN, HORNY and MOAN & GROAN would all reach the UK Top-10, making him the first artist in British pop history to have five Top-10s from their debut album. Although his career was going well, Morrison was constantly in trouble with the law. In 1997 he was imprisoned, the same year (coincidently) he received four Brit nominations, a Mercury Music Prize nomination, an MTV Europe award nomination and 5 MOBO nominations (including winning best R&B), as RETURN OF THE MACK began to climb its way to number two on the American Billboard charts receiving platinum status en-route. It stayed on the Billboard charts for an incredible 25 weeks. Mark’s post-prison release WHO’S THE MACK?, also hit the Top-20 in September 1997, and another single entered the Top-40 in 1999, BEST FRIEND, which saw Mark team up with UK soul queen Gabrielle and soul star Connor Reeves. In 2006, Morrison made a return with an independent album INNOCENT MAN. It featured collaborations with industry heavyweights DMX, Elephant Man, and Alexander O’Neal. The single INNOCENT MAN featuring DMX, also appeared in sample form on INNOCENT (MISUNDERSTOOD) by Cassidy, which reached 3 on Billboard's Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart in November 2007. The long-awaited return of the King of UK R&B is scheduled for 2011, with the eagerly anticipated new album IAMWHATIAM, accompanied by a worldwide tour.