Mark "Nessie" Nesmith
Beaumont - Texas - United States

Track this Artist/Band

A singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and teacher, Mark Nesmith has logged thousands of miles performing throughout TX, OK, LA, AR, and KS. His debut solo blues CD “A Sinner’s Prayer” fuses Delta, Chicago, and Texas blues influences and was selected by the Houston Blues Society as the Best Self-Produced CD of 2024. In true solo fashion, Mark wrote all the songs and played all the instruments on “A Sinner’s Prayer.” This CD will represent the HBS at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN in January 2025. Mark is also the guitarist and vocalist for the SETX based band Melon Jelly. Melon Jelly’s musical gumbo of blues, rock, and funk won the 2024 Houston Blues Challenge sending them to compete at the IBC in Memphis as well.

In addition to Melon Jelly and his solo career, Mark also performs with folk and americana recording artist Courtney Hale Revia and Rustic Bird. He previously backed up country recording artist Chris Bergeron. Mark has played countless venues large and small, from restaurants and smoky dive bars to the Dallas House of Blues, the Levitt Pavilion in Arlington, the historic Stagecoach Ballroom in Fort Worth, and Remington Park Casino in Oklahoma City. He shared a stage in Dallas with Rick Derringer’s band and opened for country music legend Crystal Gayle at the historic Jefferson Theatre. 

His songs are a melting pot of the styles he has played over the years, a musical gumbo of blues, folk, rock, funk and americana with a soulful vibe. His music has been heard on FNTX Radio, Cellblock Radio, KNON 89.3, the Fox 4 King of the Road Show, SETX Live, and more. Melon Jelly has garnered more than 22,000 streams on Spotify with their first three singles. Mark was also interviewed by Bob and Kelli Phillips and featured on an episode of the syndicated television show Texas Country Reporter.

An accomplished artist as well as a musician, Mark graduated from Lamar University in 1998 with a BFA in Studio Art. Mark’s paintings have been included in exhibitions at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas, the Museum of East Texas, the Dishman Art Museum, the Texas Artists Museum, and the Mesquite Arts Center. His solo retrospective show opens summer 2022 at the Longview Museum of Fine Art. He has shown in galleries throughout the US and has appeared in American Art Collector Magazine, Art Reveal Magazine, the Austin Chronicle, the Dallas Observer, Empty Easel, Issue, the Lamar University Press, The Local Magazine, Professional Artist Magazine, VIP Magazine, and more. Mark’s artwork is in collections in more than thirty states throughout the USA including the Longview Museum of Fine Arts, the Dishman Art Museum, Duke University, Grant Thornton LLP, The Honorable Ron Clark, Chief Judge U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, and the Lone Survivor Foundation. He is represented by Bisong Art Gallery in Houston, TX

 


change album image

A Sinner's Prayer
Details

Label: Self-Release

Genres: Blues, Unknown

Styles: Delta Blues, Contemporary Blues, Acoustic Blues, Blues Rock, Classic Blues, Blues, Unknown

Songs on the Album

Track # Song Title Style Genre
1 A Sinner's Prayer - details Contemporary Blues Blues
2 Death Row - details Blues Rock Blues
3 Stone on My Soul - details Contemporary Blues Blues
4 When the Storm Comes - details Acoustic Blues Blues
5 It's Not Your Fault - details Classic Blues Blues
6 Wolves at My Door - details Acoustic Blues Blues
7 Snow on the Ground - details Acoustic Blues Blues
8 Blues when I Wake Up - details Acoustic Blues Blues
9 Honey Trap - details Blues Rock Blues
10 Woman of My Dreams - details Acoustic Blues Blues
11 Stuck Inside - details Acoustic Blues Blues
12 Knots - details Acoustic Blues Blues