Mark Stein

Mark Stein played an important role in psychedelic rock in the 1960s as keyboardist for Vanilla Fudge. His dad was a singer and was always supportive of Mark’s career in music, which began when he played accordion as a child. His dad, who later became Mark’s manager, booked him on a television program when he was just 11 years old. He progressed to the organ and was always fascinated by the sounds he could produce on the Hammond B3, which became his main instrument. When the rock band he helped form, the Pigeons, added drummer Carmine Appice, they changed their name to Vanilla Fudge and recorded five albums between 1967 and ’69. The band’s influence can still be felt today. Mark went on to a solo career and recorded with a number of top artists including Alice Cooper and Dave Mason. In the mid 1970s Mark joined the rock fusion group The Tommy Bolin Band, in which he explored many of the latest synthesizers of that time. His synth skills can be heard on a later recording with Dave Mason entitled “Bird on the Wind.” During the pandemic of 2020, Mark wrote, recorded and released the single “We Are One,” a reflection on the Black Lives Matter movement.