Mark King (musician)
The British bassist whose lightning-fast slap-pop technique became the funky, melodic backbone of 1980s pop anthems.
Born 1958 (age 68)·British bassist and singer·Birthday: October 20·Baby Boomers
Biography
Mark King didn't just play the bass guitar; he turned it into a lead instrument, a percussive engine that drove Level 42 to the top of the charts. Emerging from the jazz-funk scene on the Isle of Wight, King and his bandmates fused complex musicality with an unerring pop sensibility. It was King's revolutionary technique—a hyper-kinetic, thumb-slapping style played on a Status graphite bass—that gave hits like 'Lessons in Love' and 'Running in the Family' their instantly recognizable, propulsive groove. He sang while executing these intricate basslines, a feat of coordination that left audiences and musicians in awe. While the 80s made him a star, King's dedication to his craft never wavered; he continues to tour and record, revered by a new generation of players who see him not as a relic of the past, but as the foundational source of modern funk bass.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Mark was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Mark Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Mark's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- As frontman for Level 42, achieved over 20 UK Top 40 singles and global album sales in the tens of millions.
- Pioneered and popularized a distinctive slap-bass technique that became a hallmark of 1980s pop-funk.
- Received a BASCA Gold Badge Award in 2015 for his contribution to British music.
- Won the 'Outer Limits' award at the 2017 Progressive Music Awards.
Did You Know?
He originally played drums and only switched to bass when his band needed a bassist.
He is known for using twin amplifier stacks on stage to create his massive, clear sound.
He is an avid angler and has participated in fishing television programs.
The band's name, Level 42, was taken from the title of a novel, 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.'
“The bass is the glue. It's the thing that holds the harmony and the rhythm together.”
