Biography
When Mark David McKinnis picked up a guitar at age ten, he didn't know that the songs and music he was creating would become a feature synced with outdoor television programs. Even before Mark entered high school, songs like Flying Sky High and music like Morning Silence became the part of the original music library of The Fishin' Hole, his father's five state syndicated outdoor television production. Exiting high school, the theme, The Fishin' Hole Breakdown, and songs like That's Just Fishin' was featured in the series just as ESPN was in its infancy start up. The Fishin Hole was picked up in 1982 by the newly founded ESPN, to become the second longest running show on ESPN by year 2000. Entering Drury College in Springfield, Missouri to study classical guitar and later moving to Nashville in 1981, Mark studied voice, guitar, composition and recording at Belmont College. He continued to create music for The Fishin' Hole, organized a working band with his brother Mike, created sports music tracks for a niche library company, and performed in Nashville and later at theme parks in Gatlinburg Tennessee and Hot Springs Arkansas before settling back in Little Rock Arkansas by 1984. As ESPN partnered with the production services of his fathers company, J.M. Associates in Little Rock, Mark organized a studio and continued to produce songs and music for the production. A new theme, Make a Memory, and feature songs like Northern Lights and Callin' Me Home, as well as dozens of others, became part of the music library that was created for the series. In 1987 the feature song Silence, was nominated for a cable ACE Award. Through the 80's and 90's Mark continued development as a music producer, sound designer, and video editor for The Fishin' Hole, Timber Sports, ESPN Outdoors, Great American Events, espn2, World Racquetball Championship, Iditarod, FLW Tour and Water Dog.
By the turn of the century, Mark continued the family television tradition, branching out to produce projects that centered on music: . Songwriters, a day in the life story featuring Bud Lee, co-songwriter of Friends in Low Places . SpotlightON, a music television series hosted by Chris King featuring fantastic songwriters such as Nelly McKay, Keith Sykes, Jim Bianco, Jason White and Jimbo Mathus, was independently syndicated with ABC affiliates and then went on the Ovation TV Network in 2009. . Humble Ground, a lifestyle series pilot in 2016, featuring Ventura California, hosted by Scotty Morris of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
Mark's focus in music has evolved over four decades. From a library of music creations for what became twenty-five years of family productions delivered to ESPN, to several collections of original and cover recordings as a songwriter, producer and artist. Mark's original songwriting and recording collections from 1977-2023 include; Down By The River, Hey Little Girl, I See You, Given a Dog A Bone, Mr. Bones, Undercover, Suspend, Ojai Sessions, Soul Stingers and more. Mark's 2000+ appearances as a vocal guitar stylist include a full time, three years, six nights a week appearance at the Crowne Plaza Little Rock, voted best in the franchise during one year of his performance term. And includes over 600 appearances for dozens of clients from Malibu to Solvang since moving to Ojai California in 2015. Most recently appearing with a developing collection of great side musicians he calls, Soul Stingers.
