Walkin’ Cane Mark

Tryin’ To Make You Understand – Remastered

Enable Records

Mark Brehm was anointed Walkin’ Cane Mark by none other than Willie Dixon. He was recovering from an injury at the time. Mark was nineteen and he had just starting singing with some Phoenix based blues band. In 1989 Mark became the front man for “Cold Shott and The Hurricane Horns”. Their album 1990’s “Out of Control” features Mark in a duet with Chico Chism the drummer for Howlin’ Wolf.

Mark was further inspired when Dixon gave him a song, “The Gravedigger”, to record. Mark formed “Walkin Cane Mark & A Shot in The Dark” and released the album “The Gravedigger” in 1995 on JAEN Records. In 1996 Mark released his follow up recording “No Rest for The Wicked” using ex-members of the Parliament Funkadelic horn section. Included on that album was a duet with Lazy Lester. In 1999 Mark released a third album also on JAEN, “I’m Big N Tasty”, featuring Guitar Shorty.

Mark states that he “refined his technique under the tutelage of Chicago harp legends Snooky Pryor and Junior Wells”. Mark teamed up with blues shouter Nappy Brown and together they toured Europe. Mark released the set “Live Bootleg At Monroe’s” in 2012. At the same time Mark began work on “Tryin To Make You Understand”, his first full length album in eleven years.

The band on this recording is Walkin Cane’ Mark, harmonica and vocals; Kirk Hawley, guitar and mandolin; John Rumbaugh, drums and either Brenden McBride or Gordon Lynde Jr., bass. Mark’s style is old school. He opens the album with Howlin’ Wolf’s “Somebody’s Walking/Somebody’s in My Home”. Mark co-wrote the rediscovered title track “Tryin To Make You Understand” with Junior Wells. “Arizona Woman” is from Chico Chism. Mark covers JJ Cale’s “Rock and Roll Records”; and a fantastic version of Tom T Hall’s “That’s How I Got To Memphis” which is among my favorite tracks on this album.

Mark also contributes seven originals including “Ellada Ellada”, dedicated to his wife, and “I’m A Freight Train”. Check out Walkin Cane Mark’s website to see the picture of Mark receiving a kiss from Junior Wells. There are enough cool surprises on this album to leave you begging for more.

Richard Ludmerer