Meet Mark Winkler

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Winkler.

Mark, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My mother was a big band singer in the 30s – I grew up in LA and even though my Mother retired from the biz, she never really did. My family lived and breathed show business and singing. She literally would give me singing lessons while making Matzo Brie in the middle of the night. She was a night owl – and said she got it traveling with bands for so many years. The highlight of our week was gathering around the piano, my mother was a pretty good player and everyone in the family would sing – My Mom, her Sister Shirley who sang with bands in the 50s, my Grandmother and my Brother Bob. No wonder I became a singer.

I first heard of Bobby Troup from my mother – I heard he was married to Julie London and had produced her big hit single “Cry Me A River” – Later when I got signed to this small jazz label in LA, Pausa they reissued Bobby’s early Capitol record LPs. But it wasn’t until 2002 when I bought his “The Feeling of Jazz” CD that I really got into his writing – I bought it looking for outside tunes to compliment my original songs, but I liked so many of his songs – I did a whole CD of them “Mark Winkler Sings Bobby Troup”.

Flash forward to October of last year and I was doing a whole evening of Troup Songs. In the audience that night was two of his kids Ronne and Cynnie. They presented me with a box full of his sheet music. It was filled to the brim with songs I knew of Bobby’s and songs I had never heard of. Over the years, I had grown friendly with his family and this Gift was fantastic but not totally unexpected. They also made me about 6 CDs of his songs.

The next day I fell on my steps in the front yard of my house and was incapacitated for about two weeks. I had nothing to do but look through the sheet music — and it was during that period that I decided to do a new CD of Troup tunes. There were just too many songs I had discovered that were wonderful — So that’s how “I’m With You: Mark Winkler sings Bobby Troup” got made! The title song is a tune Bobby wrote with his idol Johnny Mercer and as far as I know, outside of Bobby Troup no one else has done a full recording of it.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being in show business is the definition of a rocky road – It’s tough and not for sissies. I always tell my students, I teach songwriting at UCLA Extension, that you shouldn’t be in show business if you don’t really love it – because it’s tough and it gives people license to treat you pretty badly. But I have always loved singing and songwriting and along the way have recorded 17 CDs, been recorded by over 250 singers including Liza Minnelli, Dianne Reeves and Steve Tyrell and have had shows of mine play Off Broadway.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
What sets me apart from other singers is my songwriting. I’ve been doing it for over 40 years – my first song I had recorded by Liza Minnelli — and I think my attention to the lyric of my songs and other people’s songs while singing sets me apart. I also swing and have learned over many years to put on a good Live Act.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Getting better at my craft, adapting to the changing musical landscape and tenacity! Not taking “no” for an answer. When I started writing songs – my demos would be on these old laquer discs that were only good for ten listens, then we went to 7″ reels, then cassettes, then CDs and now to Mp3s.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.markwinklermusic.com
• Facebook: facebook/markwinklermusic
• Twitter: @markwinkler

Image Credit:
Mark with the Troup Family, Mark posing with his band at recent KSDS Live Jazz Concert, Album photography by Mikel Healey, Box of Bobby Troup sheet music

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