MARK NAFTALIN
Pianist and keyboard player Mark Naftalin has played on over 100 albums by Legends like John Lee Hooker, Otis Rush, Lowell Fulson and dozens of others. Mark started out in The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, appearing on their first four albums before settling in San Francisco in the late 60s. He led his own band, The Rhythm and Blues Revue, occasionally appearing with guitarist Mike Bloomfield after the demise of his band Electric Flag. Mark was often called on to play as a side-man on tour and in the studio, and in 1979, he began a long broadcasting career, hosting his radio show Blue Monday Party and presenting several TV specials.
In 1981, Mark produced The Marin County Blues Festival, a role he continued for two decades, and for ten years he also produced the Blues Afternoon at the Monterey Jazz Festival. As well as guesting on countless albums, Mark set up his own label, Winner Records in 1988, recording Percy Mayfield and Mike Bloomfield, and he also founded The Blue Monday Foundation. He continues to play around the West Coast, often in the company of his long time slide-playing friend Ron Thompson, and his radio show The Blues Power Hour has become a San Francisco institution.
