Mark Wallney at the Buddy Holly Center

07/27/2023 05:30 PM – 07/27/2023 07:30 PM

Join us at the Buddy Holly Center for a FREE performance by Mark Wallney on July 27 from 5:30-7:30 PM! We will also have children's activities a cash bar, and Llano Cubano food truck.

Mark Wallney is an Acoustic/Folk/Rock artist born in Chicago, raised on the west coast and spent three years in Las Vegas before making Lubbock, Texas, his home. He is one of Lubbock’s true guitar masters. “I think I was meant to play music,” he said. “Ever since I was a kid, it’s all I ever wanted to do.”

Mark Wallney spent much of his childhood in California and Las Vegas, where his father worked as an engineer. Hearing the Beatles for the first time and the explosion of ’60s-era West Coast bands, a young Wallney realized he wanted to be a musician.

When his father took a job with Litton Industries, the family moved to Lubbock. While attending Mackenzie Junior High, Wallney played his first paying gig. After graduating, he toured for several years with a number of rock and country bands, playing lead guitar.

“Eventually I knew I didn’t want to travel with those bands for the rest of my life,” he said. Wallney began attending Texas Tech University, earning a degree in business and marketing. For many years, he worked in Houston and burned the candle at both ends, working a day job and playing gigs on weekend nights.

“Lubbock tends to draw you back,” he said. Wallney returned with his young family to the Hub City 17 years ago. Currently he teaches at South Plains College in the Commercial Music Department, a unique and inspiring program. “I’m one of the luckiest people in the world. I get to play guitar all day long. I teach country and rock ‘n’ roll. I also teach some of the business classes and music marketing.” He is a certified Nashville Performance Coach.

His solo music is best described as Acoustic/Folk/Rock. “It tends to be more Crosby, Stills, and Nash, the Eagles, the Beatles — that kind of thing,” Wallney said. His recordings include the albums “By Request” with fellow Lubbock musician Mike Pritchard, and “To My Friend” with Betty Smith, producer of the Sounds of West Texas concert series. He has also recorded with the Caprockers, a band of which he is a founding member. Wallney currently released two new CDs: “Hide Your Love Away” a country rock collection of original music and “Rain Fall Down” a Jazz/Rock/Acoustics collection of originals. “I’m going to do an original. I like playing cover songs, but I’ve also been writing songs since I was 14.”

Mark has been performing professionally for 40 years and has shared the stage with James Brown, Firefall, Jerry Jeff Walker, Christopher Cross, Gatemouth Brown, Eric Johnson, Graham Nash, Billy Bob Thornton, The Maines Brothers, Joe Bonnamasa, and Shake Russell.