Mark King

Born on October 20, 1958, in Cowes, England, Mark King served for many years as frontman of the British funk-pop band Level 42. Formerly a drummer, he took up the bass after co-founding the group in 1980 and refined a signature thumb-slapping approach that became central to its musical identity. Beginning with Level 42’s self-titled 1981 debut, the quartet attained substantial success within the UK, leading King to pause band duties in 1984 and cut his first solo album, Influences. The ensemble’s worldwide profile reached its zenith in 1986 through the hit single “Something About You,” after which it issued several more LPs before breaking up in late 1994 and allowing King to return to solo work; four years afterward he delivered the album One Man.