Biography
Miko Marks navigates the boundary between mainstream country and Americana, shaping a singular blend of American musical traditions shaped by her perspective as a Black woman in the genre. Emerging initially in the mid-2000s with a traditionalist approach, she resurfaced alongside her backing ensemble the Resurrectors in 2020, broadening her sound to include soul, blues, and folk while staying anchored in country roots. This richer sonic range came into focus on the 2021 release Our Country and its 2022 successor Feel Like Going Home, both issued with the Resurrectors.
Born in Flint, Michigan, Marks grew up surrounded by music, performing gospel within her church and participating in madrigal choir during high school. She studied at Grambling State University in Louisiana, then relocated to San Francisco, where she took a position as a legal secretary and established her family. In the early 2000s, she claimed victory in a local radio singing competition, prompting her to chase a professional path in country music. Remaining based in the San Francisco region, she built a Nashville-based publicity team to support the independent launch of her first album, Freeway Bound, in 2005. The accompanying video for the track “Mama” included a guest appearance by Erykah Badu, a former classmate from Grambling, generating sufficient notice to earn Marks the Best New Country Artist honor at the New Music Weekly Awards in 2006.
She swiftly issued the follow-up It Feels Good in 2007, an album marked by a lighter, more pop-oriented tone. This marked her final release for ten years, although she sustained her musical activity through regular appearances at the Bay Area venue Saddle Racks and performances across the region.
Marks made a low-key return via the 2019 single “Roll Out,” succeeded by “Goodnight America” in 2020. Penned by Justin Phipps, once part of her touring ensemble, the latter track rekindled her drive to create. That same year she established the Resurrectors alongside Phipps and Steve Wyreman, another prior band member, with the pair launching Redtone Records together.
Miko Marks & the Resurrectors put out the singles “Travel Light” and “Ancestors” before delivering the album Our Country on the Redtone imprint in 2021. One year later came the full-length Feel Like Going Home. While touring in support of that record, Marks performed for the first time at the Grand Ole Opry in October 2022.
Born in Flint, Michigan, Marks grew up surrounded by music, performing gospel within her church and participating in madrigal choir during high school. She studied at Grambling State University in Louisiana, then relocated to San Francisco, where she took a position as a legal secretary and established her family. In the early 2000s, she claimed victory in a local radio singing competition, prompting her to chase a professional path in country music. Remaining based in the San Francisco region, she built a Nashville-based publicity team to support the independent launch of her first album, Freeway Bound, in 2005. The accompanying video for the track “Mama” included a guest appearance by Erykah Badu, a former classmate from Grambling, generating sufficient notice to earn Marks the Best New Country Artist honor at the New Music Weekly Awards in 2006.
She swiftly issued the follow-up It Feels Good in 2007, an album marked by a lighter, more pop-oriented tone. This marked her final release for ten years, although she sustained her musical activity through regular appearances at the Bay Area venue Saddle Racks and performances across the region.
Marks made a low-key return via the 2019 single “Roll Out,” succeeded by “Goodnight America” in 2020. Penned by Justin Phipps, once part of her touring ensemble, the latter track rekindled her drive to create. That same year she established the Resurrectors alongside Phipps and Steve Wyreman, another prior band member, with the pair launching Redtone Records together.
Miko Marks & the Resurrectors put out the singles “Travel Light” and “Ancestors” before delivering the album Our Country on the Redtone imprint in 2021. One year later came the full-length Feel Like Going Home. While touring in support of that record, Marks performed for the first time at the Grand Ole Opry in October 2022.
Albums
Singles
