User:Stephenmdean/sandbox

POLLOCK, Mark Thomas - Born Nov 1, 1951 in Springfield, Mo to Joy and John Pollock. Mark grew up in Irving, Texas and soon after graduating high school (1970) he left for the road and joined the legendary Lowell Fulson Band as guitarist and band leader. After several years with Lowell Fulson he was contacted by Freddie King and continued his road travels with the Freddie King Band during Freddie's Shelter years. Mark joined the legendary Chicago bluesmans James Cotton band and stayed several years on the road with James. Tiring of the road he came back to Dallas and was soon forming many locally successful bands including Teddy and The Talltops, Mark and The Midnighters, and Cold Blue Steel. In 1985 after his dear friend Charlie Wirtz passed away he was able to purchase the renowned Charlie's Guitar Shop on Harry Hines in Dallas and also the world famous Greater South West Guitar Show that Charlie had started. The Guitar Show remained the largest of its kind during Mark's ownership and still today is the premier Guitar Show in the world; it is now called the "Dallas International Guitar Festival". During his annual guitar show he was asked by Eric Clapton to participate in the Crossroads Festival and to recreate his guitar show alongside the Festival at the Cotton bowl in Dallas Texas. After many successful years of the Guitar Store and Show Mark decided to slow down and sold his interest in the businesses and moved to Alpine, Texas to open Trans Pecos Guitars. Mark became a beloved community involved activist in his new adopted hometown and continued his work with guitars. Mark soon joined the Marfa Public Radio as the resident "Blues" expert with a weekly blues music show. After more than 10 years in Alpine Texas he succumbed to lung cancer on November 13, 2015.