How a 19-year-old milkman used a lie to revolutionize the bass guitar
In short: Before he was a global funk icon, Mark King was a milkman with a secret. Seeking a music career in London, he lied about his skills to land a job at a musical instrument store, inadvertently setting the stage for a rhythmic revolution.
In 1979, Mark King arrived in London with a milk van and a determination to escape a life of factory production lines and milk delivery. Seeking employment in the music industry, he secured a position at Macari’s, a musical instrument store on Charing Cross Road. However, the shop did not stock drums, the instrument King had played since age nine. To secure the job, King claimed he could play the bass guitar. This white lie forced a transition from drummer to bassist, a move that would eventually define his career.
King’s approach to the instrument became a hallmark of 1980s pop. While the 'slap and pop' technique was pioneered by funk legends like Larry Graham and Stanley Clarke, King refined it into a high-speed, 'machine-gun' style. By utilizing a rapid-fire combination of thumb slaps, pops, hammer-ons, and even fretting hand slaps, he achieved a percussive, continuous sixteenth-note pattern. This technical precision helped propel his band, Level 42, to international success with hits like 1983's 'The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up)'.
His career is marked by both mainstream triumph and DIY ingenuity. Beyond supporting legends like Queen and Madonna, King demonstrated an early mastery of independent distribution. In 1999, after being rejected by Virgin Records, he released the album *Trash* entirely on his own. Using an Apple Mac, a CD burner, and an inkjet printer, he manufactured and mailed the discs directly to fans. What began as a limited run of 100 numbered copies eventually reached over 1,000 sales, proving that rhythmic intuition could thrive far beyond the traditional record label system.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Mark King (musician)
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/culture-mark-king-musician.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in UK & Irish culture · More in Cultures · Latest · A–Z · All topics
