Frank Marino

Frank Marino (2006)

Frank Marino (born Francesco Antonio Marino on November 20, 1954 in Montreal , Canada ) is a Canadian rock musician (guitar, vocals, keyboard instruments, drums) of Italian descent.

Life

In the late 1960s, in the midst of the hippie movement, Marino had his first experiences with drugs , especially LSD, as a teenager . In the summer of 1968, when he was 13, he was admitted to the hospital with a life-threatening LSD trip. He started playing the guitar when he was 17.

At the end of the 1970s, Mahogany Rush had reached the height of popularity in the music scene and played at the "California Jam II" festival, among others. Nevertheless, Frank Marino's music has never been able to inspire the broad mass of music lovers to this day, which is why he is counted among the more underrated guitarists in the USA and Europe.

In the mid-1990s, after a dispute with his record companies, Marino initially left the music business. After his worldwide fans urged him to come back on the music stage in the following years, he decided to make a comeback. A new album was released in 2001. He also appeared on LPs by other artists, including a. of tribute albums for Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan .

Frank Marino is married and has three daughters.

Music overview

Frank Marino's style is influenced by Jimi Hendrix , but Marino integrated various directions such as blues, rock, jazz and funk into his music. The sometimes throaty voice and the way of singing are clearly reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix at the beginning of his career. However, the Hendrix influence continued to decline over the years.

In 1969 Frank Marino formed the band Mahogany Rush together with Jim Ayoub (drums) and Paul Harwood (bass) . Ayoub and Harwood were Marino's companions until 1981, after 1981 Harwood also played on the LPs “Juggernaut”, “Full Circle” and “Double Live”. Since 1982, Frank's brother Vince (guitar) has often been part of the line-up.

Frank Marino was the defining factor within the band from the start. He wrote almost all songs, arranged and produced all albums to this day.

In 1972, 17 year old Marino and Mahogany Rush recorded their first album called "Maxoom". "Child Of The Novelty" (1974) and "Strange Universe" (1975) followed.

The band then moved from 20th Century Records to Columbia / CBS. Their first album for the new label was called "Mahogany Rush IV" and is considered by fans to be the best Mahogany Rush production. As on the LP "Strange Universe", Marino also used Mellotron and synthesizers on some of the songs on this album .

With the LP “Live” (1978) the ensemble name changed to Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush . In addition to well-known album tracks, the LP contained cover versions of "Backdoor Man", "Who Do Ya Love", "Johnny B. Good", "I'm A King Bee" and "Purple Haze" ( Hendrix ).

“Tales Of The Unexpected” (1979) contained a page with new tracks that were recorded live. The studio site includes covers of Bob Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower", which was also popularized by Hendrix , and " Norwegian Wood " by the Beatles . The title track (inspired by Hendrix '"3rd Stone From The Sun") showed clear jazzy influences for the first time. “What's Next” (1980) was the last LP for the time being, on the cover of which the name Mahogany Rush appeared.

Frank Marino's first solo album was released under the title "The Power Of Rock'n'Roll" (1981) . “Juggernaut” (1982) was another highlight in Frank Marino's career. It is characterized by powerful and melodic guitar hard rock, occasionally supplemented by synthesizers. Brother Vince was involved in the recording. The influence of Hendrix is ​​only marginally audible.

After that, the career stalled, the record deal with Columbia / CBS expired. It wasn't until 1986 that the next LP, “Full Circle”, was released on a small label, in which Brother Vince was also involved again.

"Double Live" (1988) was released again under the name Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush and presented versions of "Roadhouse Blues" and "Who Do Ya Love", among others. In addition, the song "Poppy" celebrated its album premiere. This song, which never appeared in a studio version, revealed all of Marino's talent. "Poppy" became an integral part of the live performances over the years and gave Marino the opportunity to quote well-known rock classics.

After the LP "From The Hip", things got quiet about Frank Marino, who soon afterwards left the music business.

In 2001 Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush released the comeback album, "Eye Of The Storm". This eclectic album also reveals Arab influences.

“RealLIVE” (double CD) was released in 2004 and was recorded in September 2001 during a single concert in Montreal. Due to a technical defect during the recording, Frank Marino restored the last track of the album in painstaking detail based on bootleg recordings of the concert. Characteristic of this live album are long live jams , many songs merge seamlessly. In addition to classics from Marino's repertoire, there are versions of "Voodoo Chile" (blues version), "Red House" and "Poppy" in a 26-minute version with numerous quotations.

Over the years, all LPs have also been released on CD, often offered by small labels, some of which are now considered out of stock. Due to unfavorable contracts, allegedly lost master tapes and a lack of interest from the record company Sony CBS, it was difficult for Frank Marino to release the LPs, which were released on Columbia / CBS between 1976 and 1982, as a remaster.

All other LPs have now been personally remastered by Marino and are regularly available again.

Discography

• 1973 Maxoom
• 1974 Child Of The Novelty
• 1975 Strange Universe
• 1976 Mahogany Rush IV
• 1977 World Anthem
• 1978 Live
• 1979 Tales Of The Unexpected
• 1980 What's Next
• 1981 The Power Of Rock & Roll
• 1982 Juggernaut
• 1987 Full Circle
• 1988 Double Live
• 1990 From The Hip
• 1999 Guitar Heroes Vol. 4 - Stories Of A Hero (compilation, period: 1978–1982, label: Zounds , all tracks digitally remastered)
• 2000 Eye Of The Storm
• 2004 RealLIVE!

Web links

• Frank Marino's website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Star Telegram: Search Results. March 4, 2016, accessed March 28, 2020 .