My City July 2022

Braun says. “I traveled around the country, hoping to nd and learn all I could from them.” For the most part, the legends obliged. Among those saying “yes’’ were National Heritage Fellowship honoree Sunnyland Slim, Blues Hall of Famers Little Brother Montgomery and Roosevelt Sykes along with Blind John Davis and Boogie Woogie Red. “„ey could see how sincere and eager I was to learn from them, which made a di…erence,” Braun shares. “Ob viously, we were completely di…erent when it came to age, social background, talent-level and life experiences which made staying with them and soaking up all I could invalu able. I learned to do what I do today because of them.” In 1984 at age 27, Braun released his rst album, “B’s Bounce” on Boo-Kay Records. “Partners in Time,” one of the works he’s most proud of, was recorded four years later with jazz legends JC Heard (drummer) and Marcus Belgrave (trumpet player). Heard recorded or performed with countless blues and jazz giants, including Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Billie Holiday while Belgrave recorded with Charles, Tony Bennett and great Motown artists like „e Temptations and Four Tops. Braun has also collaborated in the studio with Gram my-winning blues singer John Hammond and Gram my-nominated bluesman Duke Robillard, as well as Grammy-nominated Jazz artist Monty Alexander. “One of my most profoundly cool experiences was work ing with JC Heard – what a legendary Detroit drummer,”

Braun says. “I learned plenty from him and us playing together was special.Working with the likes of John Ham mond and Duke Robillard were very rewarding, unforgetta ble experiences as well.” In 1994, Braun released the acclaimed live set, “My Sunday Best” recorded at Kerrytown Concert House. “„e changes in direction serve to literally amaze the listener, taking them through a range of moods and colors that are generally not experienced in such a setting …„is is not just a case of a local boy making good, this is a state ment of a world class musician playing for his hometown fans,” a review in Detroit Metro Times read. Construction of Braun’s Joybox Express piano bike coincided with a charity he founded in 2009 to raise funds for Flint-area athletic and artistic youth programs by riding the bike to various locations and playing concerts along the way. In 2017, Braun and his entourage pedaled it all the way from Flint to Mackinaw City to bene t YouthQuest – a high-quality, no-cost Genesee County after-school en richment program.„e journey culminated with Braun’s performance at Mackinac Island’s Grand Hotel. „at trip followed an even more ambitious one two years earlier, a 2,000-mile, 90-day journey following the entire length of the Mississippi River. “I have always taken part in sports as well as being an artist, so starting a charity to help children involved in both in my hometown seemed like the natural thing to do,”Braun says. “I also felt it was a way for kids to see they can pursue athletic and artistic excellence at the same time. No reason to choose.”

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MARK BRAUN ENJOYS PLAYING FOR TIPS AT THE CORNER OF DETROIT AND CATHERINE STREETS IN ANN ARBOR.

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