MARK GAMSJAGER
Like so many good things in life, it’s Chuck Berry’s fault.
Young Mark Gamsjager heard the St. Louis master’s incredible dexterity, invention and six-string swagger and things would never be the same.
The Shakespeare of Rock and Roll left his mark on Mark in a deep way.
Others would follow suit—Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, Chet Atkins, jazzman Charlie Byrd—each serving as both an inspiration and a stepping stone on Gamsjager’s personal path to guitar glory.
But, savvy, even at that tender age, Gamsjager, who played in folk and bluegrass bands even before graduating high school, realized that fancy pickin’ an sassy singin’ wasn’t enough. If you wanted to hold a crowd, you had to entertain.
And Mark Gamsjager, hair pomped high, a wiggle in the shoulders and a wink in the eye, is an entertainer through and through. He listens to the audience with a conductor’s ear, making every song, every passage, every note hit home.