Mark Gillespie, (born 17 November 1970, in Stockport, England) is a singer, songwriter, currently living and touring in Germany, where he has built himself a substantial fanbase, and has toured with Jethro Tull, Meat Loaf, Lisa Stansfield, Fool's Garden and Chris De Burgh.
Mark Gillespie and his friend Jonathan Mansfield went to Mile End school in Stockport where, as Gillespie contends on the \"Supersonic Wednesday\" DVD, they were \"the only ones being heterosexual\". Teachers told them it would be helpful to gain life experience if they wanted to become successful actors. To do so, they hitch-hiked across Europe, which they financed by busking.
They named their newly formed band \"The Blue Jars\" and toured through countries like Belgium, Germany, Norway, Sweden or finally Israel, where Mansfield stayed. After Gillespie returned from Israel, he mainly toured in Germany. While busking in the Lower Saxonian town Gttingen, Gillespie caught the attention of Peter Herrmann, owner of a recording studio in Gieen. Being quite impressed by him, he offered Gillespie to record a CD that he could sell in the pedestrian zones while busking.
Gillespie, being in a studio for the first time ever, sang his songs with musicians he had never met (Peter Herrmann had organized them), which resulted in his 1996 debut album, \"Give it Time\". After the CD was done, it was sold very well and people asked for a concert with the band. A CD release concert followed, with Mark Gillespie as singer and guitarist, Peter Herrmann as bassist, Markus Leukel as drummer and Thomas Dill as lead guitarist.
The audience and the band were enthusiastic, which galvanized the band into playing another concert and finally forming a band, the Mark Gillespie Band.
