Riders Radio Theater was a half hour, weekly, cult favorite/public radio show performed live by the two-time Grammy Award-winning western and comedy band Riders In The Sky in Nashville and Cincinnati from 1988-1995. Called at the time "the fastest half hour in radio," each show featured western music, wacky commercials, the National Polka Countdown, characters and comedy bits of all sizes and descriptions, and a cliffhanging serial adventure... all liberally sprinkled with country and folk music guest stars and legends. It was the Golden Age of High Yodeling Adventure and it deserves to live again!

Capturing the essence and spirit of America through song would be a daunting task for any artist, but Brine has made a career of it. Over the years, Brine has won fans, critical praise and awards for his efforts in traditional American music.  But as nice as that recognition is, nothing is more important to Brine than his message, the mark of a true artist.  His songs are about the shy boy who gets the girl at the eighth grade dance to the longing grandmother waiting on the piazza.  Songs of riverboats, back roads and a just plain simpler time.  A total artistic quilt.  So it is easy to see the correlation between Brine and Twain. 

Interestingly enough, Samuel Clemens took his pseudonym “Mark Twain’ from the river man’s term for water ‘two fathoms deep’ and ‘brine’ is the term used to describe the ocean water’s salt. We start inland and arrive at the shore of American imagery.  This veteran singer-songwriter’s lyrics, music and singing draw inspiration from folks in league with Twain as storytellers and icons from the worlds of traditional country, folk, pop and alternative musics such as that of Stephen Foster, Jimmie Rodgers, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Hank Williams Sr., Roy Acuff and Bob Dylan to the artistry of Norman Rockwell and Thomas Williams Jones. 

Brine was born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, one of the major folk scenes in the country and got his first taste of Hank Williams from his uncle’s record collection and later learned about rock and roll through the Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley records his aunt played for him.  Both of these exposures along with the exposure to the southern blues sounds of artists like Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf would cement Brine’s interest in traditional American music.  Though Brine’s professional music debut came as an electric guitar player for several different rhythm and blues bands in Massachusetts, he ultimately unplugged his guitar and moved to Nashville to study traditional country and roots music. As a roster artist and staff writer for two record labels, he found instead an overwhelmingly commercialized music industry.  Unable and unwilling to conform, Brine rather sought to create his own brand of Americana. 

Brine left Nashville to produce ‘Return to Americana’ in 1985, and in 1988 ‘American Pieces.'  In 1992, his song, 'New Blue Yodel" produced by Honest Tom Pomposello received two preliminary Grammy nominations and won Brine the attention of Hank Snow who invited Mark to perform it as his guest on the Grand Ole Opry.  The song itself became the title cut of a CD in 1995. 

Over the course of his recording career, Mark has put together an impressive collection of albums that showcases not only his voice and guitar work, but also his songwriting ability and his craft for musical composition and arrangement. To fully understand Brine’s depth as a performer and as a songwriter you need to listen to the evolution of the music. While Mark’s earlier recordings are filled with keen observation and wit, they only hint at the adept storyteller he would become with such songs as I’ve Always Been a Sucker for Your Smile (Miss Rebecca), 8th Grade Romance ( … And They Danced), The Parlor Song and from his latest release ‘farm girl’ which is no exception.

A true songsmith Brine has recorded and released more than 20 albums of original material over the years.  Though each album is different, they all share a deep-rooted respect for traditional American music thus making Brine a true practitioner of Americana music. When asked to describe his own sound, Brine uses the term “Americana” but is quick to explain.  “When talking about my music, the term Americana is about taking the listener back to a more innocent time that no longer exists in America,” said Brine.  “Two of my favorite artists are Norman Rockwell and Thomas William Jones.  Both are true folk artists and have an amazing ability to capture a moment in time.  That’s what I’m doing with my music.  I want to capture that moment in a song.“   

 

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Staff writer and roster artist for two Nashville record labels • Winner of the Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Contest, Meridian, MS • Opening act at the legendary World Famous Tootsies Orchid Lounge in Nashville for six years • Appeared on Ernest Tubb’s Midnight Jamboree with Roy Acuff and the Smokey Mountain Boys • Appeared on Rig Rock Jukebox, Diesel Only label’s compilation of northern alt-country acts • Two preliminary Grammy nominations for Best Male Country Vocalist and Best Country Song • Debut performance on the Grand Ole Opry with Hank Snow and his Rainbow Ranch Boys • ECMA’s DJ listing of top 200 country artists in Europe • Inductee into the National Traditional Country Music Association (NTCMA) Hall of Fame

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