On what would would have been John Lennon’s 75th birthday, a salute will come from Mark Hudson

/ October 4, 2015

The man who keeps BeatleCuse going is making sure Syracuse has something cool going on to mark the day that John Lennon would have turned 75.

Yes, the first Beatle to leave us was born on Oct. 9, 1940. My how time does pass us by.

“There will be some national attention given to this ‘round numbered’ diamond anniversary,” reports musician, fan and promoter Paul Davie. “Or should I say, Lucy In The Sky With Diamondanniversary. I know. … I’m hopeless.”

(courtesy of Paul Davie)

(Courtesy of Paul Davie)

“Aside from Jamie Notarthomas, Mark was truly the star at BeatleCuse back in February,” Davie says. “Demand was so high for his return, I knew he would be the right choice to celebrate Lennon’s birthday. After all, he was personal friends with John in the mid 70’s. And he has a lot more stories to tell.”

The show is 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, at the Mohegan Manor Ballroom in Baldwinsville, some 20 miles northwest of Syracuse. Tickets for the show only are $20. Tickets for a buffet dinner that starts at 6:30 p.m. and the show are $40. They can be bought online at this link.

Portions of the proceeds will go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Hudson suffers from Type II diabetes, and is an advocate of control through healthy life choices.

The one-man show is titled Livin’ on the Edge. Here’s the bio, courtesy of Davie.

Mark Hudson is the Forrest Gump of Rock & Roll. He was with John Lennon during his famous lost weekend. He was with Led Zeppelin when they tried to light Elton John on fire at a party. He was asked by Cher to do something very private that had always eluded her. This is just the beginning. Mark always seemed to be in the room when something historic, funny or just plain unbelievable was occurring.

In “Livin’ on the Edge” Mark talks about his experiences with rocks’ elite through monologues, funny anecdotes, impersonations and lots of music. The stories will leave you in stitches and the songs will keep playing in your head. His colorful outfits, colorful facial hair and colorful wit will hook you right from the start.

Mark wrote the Grammy-winning song “Livin’ on the Edge” for Aerosmith plus went on to write a dozen other Aerosmith songs as well as producing several of their albums. He wrote “The Reason” with Carole King, which became a huge smash for Celine Dion. He produced Ozzy Osbourne, Hanson, Elmopalooza, Ringo Starr, Baha Men and many more.

Mark was the vocal director and backup vocalist for artists such as David Cassidy, Wayne Newton, Cher, Alice Cooper, Jon Bon Jovi, Aaron Neville, Harry Nilsson, Hanson, Leif Garrett, Night Ranger and more.

In addition, Mark starred in a Prime Time music/comedy series with his brothers in 1974 entitled “The Hudson Brothers Show.” This led to a Saturday morning show entitled, “The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show.” Mark’s TV career landed him a spot as the band leader on the “Late Show with Joan Rivers” on Fox and in 2008, on the X Factor in England, a Simon Cowell show which also stars Sharon Osbourne. (Mark is known in England as “Weird Beard” for his brightly colored beard.)

Here’s a YouTube clip of a video I shot at last winter’s BeatleCuse show.

What’s your favorite group among those with which Mark Hudson worked, and why? Do you remember any of Mark Hudson’s TV work, and if so, what struck you the most? What would be your biggest claim to the ‘Livin’ on the Edge’
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32 thoughts on “On what would would have been John Lennon’s 75th birthday, a salute will come from Mark Hudson”

  1. [Catching up with you a bit, today ;-)] John Lennon has always been one of my favs, and I remember how I cried the night he died. I can only “imagine” what else he may have accomplished and the music he would’ve created if he was still here ❤
    And The Hudson Brothers, oh my I remember watching their variety show on TV . . . man I'm getting old LOL!!!!

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    • We’re getting to the gold in life, together, Sadie. Add that ‘g’ and it feels more palatable, doesn’t it? ❤ I'm glad you're getting to do some WP catch-up, and am honored to converse wisely with you again here, my peer and my friend.

      Yes, the night John was murdered, Howard Cosell gave me the news when I was watching 'Monday Night Football.' I turned off the TV and sadly listened to his and Beatles music on the radio with my roommates the rest of the night.

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  2. Now Mark, you cannot reference The Weird Beard and then not show it! I’d never heard of this person, but it sounds like he did all of the things that a person can do. If you’d have just said, “He is Kate Hudson’s uncle,” then I would be able to understand better. I did google his weird beard. Mercy, that is a true monikor. We started watching X Factor over the past three weeks each night bc we got a new cable channel that shows it constantly. I haven’t seen him on it, so I guess he bowed out years ago.

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  4. I remember watching the Hudson Brothers Show. That guy really sounds like Joe Cocker. I went to a Joe Cocker concert in Denver once and prior to going, my Dad advised I wear a rain slicker (as we were in the very front row) because he said Joe Cocker had a tendency to throw up on his audience. Luckily that did not happen. That’s definitely an endearing trait and will keep the fans coming back for more!

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  6. wow, this is incredible. amazing that one man could have been involved in so many musical endeavors/events. i also loved the old variety shows and remember the hudson brothers very well – can’t believe 75 for jl, time flies.

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  7. Mark, this is a fantastic sounding concert and what a great tribute in memory of John Lennon. Hope to hear about the concert. I had a blast at “Hard Day’s Night” concert, by the way. The group did a cover concert that was lots of fun, energy and good voices, too. 🙂

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  8. Lennon at 75, I’d like to think he’d still be relevant, and creating, or at the very least, up on stage like Mick Jagger. ☺ I remember the Hudson brothers show, Mark, in the same light as Sonny and Cher. Variety shows have been relegated to late night, I guess. ☺

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  14. Whew! He was a busy boy, that lad was. I liked David Cassidy, Cher, Jon Bon Jovi, Night Ranger and more (I’d say I liked Aerosmith but I always get teased for that one). People like him make my eyes pop. The speaker at my graduation from Queen’s was an alum who had started 20 internet businesses, selling them for over $50 million, had raised over $1,7 billion (incredible number) in charitable fundraising activities, had a family and two boys who were just starting Queen’s , and along the way traveled, wrote books, gave his time and contacts to good causes and basically ruled the world.(as well as being on the board of directors of Canada’s top businesses) He was 45 years old. AARGH! Oh, and he was an hilarious and very cutting speaker. A man like your Mark – who seems to have been able to fit 3 or 4 lifetimes of achievements into one life. My life is like a Late Night humorist whose TV ad shows part of an interview where he was asked if he had been to prison and he said he had – that he was incarcerated for Cabaret. That’s more like my life – ludicrous things that happen along the way to greatness that I never quite seem to achieve.

    Great post Mark – good to know there are people like Mark out there.

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    • Paul, your greatness arrives for us in your ability to share with words here in BloggyVille. And when I read about your past, I don’t ever feel that you fell short of anything. Thanks for your kind words on this post about Mark Hudson.

      Hey, people who make fun of a taste for Aerosmith are very judgey. Steven Tyler and mates have been rocking their way through five different decades now. Imagine that.

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