Mark Wallney Instructor of Music

Mark Wallney is an Acoustic/Folk/Rock artist born in Chicago, raised on the west coast and spent three years in Las Vegas before making Lubbock, Texas his home. He is one of Lubbock’s true guitar masters. “ I was meant to play music,” he said. “Ever since I was a kid, it’s all I ever wanted to do.”

“One of my goals is to perpetuate the sounds and spirit of the music I have lived through since 1972 onward and to act as a boot strap to lift up younger artists that come after me.”

Mark Wallney spent much of his childhood in California and Las Vegas, where his father worked as an engineer. Hearing the Beatles for the first time and the explosion of ’60s-era West Coast bands, a young Wallney realized he wanted to be a musician.

When his father took a job with Litton Industries, the family moved to Lubbock. While attending Mackenzie Junior High, Wallney played his first paying gig. After graduating, he toured for several years with a number of rock and country bands, playing lead guitar.

“Eventually I knew I didn’t want to travel with those bands for the rest of my life,” he said. Wallney began attending Texas Tech University, earning a degree in business and marketing. For many years, he worked in Houston and burned the candle at both ends, working a day job and playing gigs on weekend nights.

“I was lucky enough to have grown up in a time when music was new and fresh and was created for the sake of the art and not just for the dollar. Travel down memory lane with me and others and re-experience your youth by coming to one of my shows.”

“Lubbock tends to draw you back,” he says. Wallney returned with his young family to the Hub City 24 years ago. Currently he teaches at South Plains College in the Commercial Music Department, a unique and inspiring program. “I’m one of the luckiest people in the world. I get to play guitar all day long. I teach country and rock ‘n’ roll. I also teach some of the business classes and music marketing.” He is a certified Nashville Performance Coach.

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Mark’s solo music is best described as Acoustic/Folk/Rock. “It tends to be more Crosby, Stills, and Nash, the Eagles, the Beatles — that kind of thing,” Wallney said. His recordings include the albums “By Request” with fellow Lubbock musician Mike Pritchard, and “To My Friend” with Betty Smith, producer of the Sounds of West Texas concert series. He has also recorded with the Caprockers, a band of which he is a founding member. Wallney currently released two new CDs: “Hide Your Love Away” a country rock collection of original music and “Rain Fall Down” a Jazz/Rock/Acoustic collection of originals. His newest project is with long time performing partner, Darren Welch, called Unison. It’s a collection of new songs and popular covers. “ I like playing cover songs, but I’ve also been writing songs since I was 14.”

“My Martin D-41 and I have been touring, performing and writing songs together across the country since 1972. We have been blessed to grace the stage with such notable luminaries like James Brown, Firefall, Jerry Jeff Walker, Christopher Cross, Gatemouth Brown, Eric Johnson, Graham Nash, Billy Bob Thornton, The Maines Brothers, Joe Bonnamasa, and Shake Russell to name a few. Teaching music at South Plains College Commercial Music program has allowed me to stay current with today’s music and work with many young and up and coming talents.”