"Yes, I’ve played with Kenny Chesney," says Mark Wallace, when asked the question for the 100th time. "He’s a nice young fellow," adds the 50-something gifted guitarist and singer who finds himself playing music as many as six nights a week at island bars and restaurants.
Wallace grew up in Detroit, and played with greats like Frank Sinatra, James Taylor and even Santana before ankling for warmer weather on St. John in the mid-80s. After a few years, he found his country/pop/folk and even classical talents in demand at restaurants, bars, private villa parties and even weddings.
Wallace, a soft spoken nice guy, says that during his weekly jobs at Cruz Bay’s Morgan’s Mango and Coral Bay’s Aqua Bistro, "They ask for Jimmy Buffet and Kenny Chesney, sure. But the joy of being here and working so much is that I get to play a lot of different music." Wallace’s talent can also be heard on occasional Sunday afternoons when he plays with Steve Simon’s Jazz islanders. But Sundays are rare, since Wallace is married and has a couple of children.
In this week’s podcast, Wallace talks about his music and plays a little, too. Click the play button below.
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