David Marks

David Marks
David Marks
	Marks performing for the California Saga 2 Charity Concert in Los Angeles, 2019
Background information
Birth name	David Lee Marks
Born	August 22, 1948 (age 75)
Origin	New Castle, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	Rock; pop; surf;
Occupation(s)	Musician; singer; songwriter;
Instrument(s)	Guitar; vocals;
Years active	1962–present
Website	davidleemarks.com (defunct)

David Lee Marks (born August 22, 1948) is an American guitarist who was an early member of the Beach Boys. While growing up in Hawthorne, California, Marks was a neighborhood friend of the original band members and was a frequent participant at their family get-togethers.^[1] Following his departure from the group, Marks fronted the Marksmen and performed and recorded as a session musician.

Marks played music with the brothers from before the band started performing publicly, including the first demo recording for "Surfin'" (recorded as The Pendletons), but he was in school^[2] – and his 12-year-old voice was deemed unnecessary – on the October 1961 afternoon the group held the final recording session for the single, released in November 1961 with the new name Beach Boys on the single's label.^[3] Marks continued with the group, moving to rhythm guitar when Al Jardine left the group in February 1962, recording as a Beach Boy from the band's second single, "Surfin' Safari", which earned the band a long term contract. He was a Beach Boy for their first four albums, Surfin' Safari (1962), Surfin' U.S.A. (1963), Surfer Girl (1963), and Little Deuce Coupe (1963). Despite participating with the group from before they became "the Beach Boys", and being in the band through their initial success (except for the recording session of their pre-success first single), historians have discounted him as a true founding member of the group.^[3] In August 1963, he left the band due to personal problems with manager Murry Wilson.^[4] Afterward, Marks worked with acts including Casey Kasem's Band Without a Name, the Moon, Delaney & Bonnie, Colours, and Warren Zevon, and studied jazz and classical guitar at the Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory.

From 1997 to 1999, Marks returned to the Beach Boys for their live performances. In 2007, he released an autobiography, entitled The Lost Beach Boy.^[4] He reunited with the group for their fiftieth-anniversary tour and the 2012 album That's Why God Made the Radio.

^ Stebbins 2007, p. 18
^ Greene, Andy (March 16, 2012). "Exclusive QA: Original Beach Boy David Marks on the Band's Anniversary Tour". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Stebbins, Jon (2011). The Beach Boys FAQ: All That's Left to Know About America's Band. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1-4584-2914-8.
^ ^a ^b Stebbins, Jon; Marks, David (2007). The Lost Beach Boy. London: Virgin Books. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-85227-391-0.

[Stebbins,_p._18-1] Stebbins 2007, p. 18

[2] Greene, Andy (March 16, 2012). "Exclusive QA: Original Beach Boy David Marks on the Band's Anniversary Tour". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved May 29, 2024.

[StebbinsFAQ-3] Stebbins, Jon (2011). The Beach Boys FAQ: All That's Left to Know About America's Band. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1-4584-2914-8.

[Stebbins-Marks-4] Stebbins, Jon; Marks, David (2007). The Lost Beach Boy. London: Virgin Books. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-85227-391-0.

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