Mark David Manders has been a mainstay in Texas music for over twenty years. His music reflects his life: an intriguing dichotomy of the introspective soul searcher and the beer swilling, drunken poet. His shows are high energy and unapologetic. His songs reek of alcohol with an occasional hint of guilt. Yet there is a tapestry to his lyrics that reflects influences such as Guy Clark and Kris Kristofferson.

Mark David Manders grew up in Plano, Texas, a suburb just north of Dallas. He credits the 1973 Jerry Jeff Walker album, “Viva Terlingua”, for changing his life.

“The first time I heard ‘Little Bird’ I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. And one day when I grow up I’m gonna do it”, jokes Manders.

After high school Manders enrolled at Texas Tech University where he spent most of the eighties (1981–1989) working on an Engineering degree. He came away with much more than a formal education.

“Lubbock taught me lessons that I carry with me to this day. Every mistake I made seemed to find its way into a song. That’s kind of how I look at life. Don’t dwell on mistakes; turn them into songs.”

After graduating from Tech Manders found his way back to the Dallas area where he worked for Centex Homes for three years. He was laid off a few days before New Years, 1992, and vowed never to “do that corporate thing again.”

“That spring I began playing open mic’s around Dallas. I even used to cold-call clubs trying to get a booking. I’d walk into a bar, pull out my guitar and start playing. Sometimes I’d get thrown out, but most of the time someone would buy me a beer, and occasionally I would be asked to come back and play for money.”