The Neighborhood by Mark 'Muddyharp' Hodgson

As the days grew into months and the months became years, Mark’muddharp’Hodgson, became a band leader. The night club scene in Florida was strong in the 70’s and 80’s and would become a proving ground for the Budding Bluesman.

The first recording that was released under Hodgsons’ name was a vinyl LP titled ‘Mark Hodgson and The Rootie Tootie Band ‘SURVIVAL IN A TOURIST TOWN’. This was a live recording and put the group on the map. Soon The boys would travel to Nashville to record demos for Gary Lamb productions. The music was ahead of its time incorporating rock and reggae with the blues, in 1981 this was a bit much for the Nashville crowd, tuned into the likes of groups like ALABAMA. Hodgson was asked to stay on in Nashville to become a solo artist but declined out of loyalty to his friends in the band.

The years flew by and so did the members of the group. There were more recordings, concerts, nightclubs, videos, and heartaches. Through it all, Hodgson remained entrenched in the Blues and kept writing and performing. In 1985, Hodgson once again tried the Nashville game. Tony Joe White, the composer of Mega Hits, Polk Salad Annie and Rainy Night In Georgia, among others, signed Hodgson to a publishing contract. During this period Hodgson became involved with the Memphis Blues Foundation and placed 1st runner up in the National Blues Talent Search. Many notables were introduced to Hodgson at the time, which led Bob Greenlee of King Snake records to go National with his fledging Blues label based in Sanford, Florida. Hodgson was responsible for placing The Return Of The Thin Man, The comeback recording of the late Tenor Saxophonist, Noble Watts, on the W.C.Handy Awards,1985 ballot for best recording. The partnership of Mark’muddyharp’Hodgson and Noble ‘thin man’Watts lasted almost 20 years. When Noble passed in 2004, Hodgson went solo.

In 2005, Hodgson started a scholarship fund, with the Daytona Beach Community College, in the names of Bob Greenlee and Noble Watts. The Florida Blues All-stars were formed by Hodgson to commemorate the music of his two late friends. This yearly event is held each February at the Goddard Center on the D.B.C.C. campus.

Mark’muddyharp’Hodgson , now resides in Virginia with his family. There have been many awards presented to Hodgson over the years and there have been many recordings now available on the Internet. The most recent, From the Delta to the Piedmont is a double cd featuring his strong original writing and performing and the Greatest Live performances of his various bands over the past 10 years. As a special feature, Noble Watts shows up with 3 outstanding performances with the Mark Hodgson Band and 3 original studio recordings performed by Hodgson and members of the Florida Blues All-stars, written by the late Bob Greenlee.

A Google search under the name ‘muddyharp’ will provide further information.

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