Mark King, a talented musician, was born and raised on the Isle of Wight, a beautiful island located off the coast of England. He was a member of two bands, Reflex and "M", before co-founding the jazz-funk instrumental band Level 42 with his friend and fellow musician Phil Gould.
Alongside Phil Gould, his brother Roland Gould, and Mike Lindup, King formed Level 42, which quickly gained attention for its unique sound and King's exceptional bass guitar playing skills. As the lead vocalist, King's distinctive voice added to the band's popularity, and Level 42 released a series of moderately successful singles.
However, it was in 1983 that the band's single "The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up)" reached the top ten, marking a significant milestone in their career. Two years later, the band released "Something About You", which reached number six on the chart and stayed there for an impressive 17 weeks. The song was also a top-ten hit in the United States.
King's confidence as a vocalist grew, and Level 42's subsequent albums, "World Machine" and "Running in the Family", solidified their position as a successful melodic pop band, rivaling the likes of Phil Collins' Genesis. However, the band's increasingly commercial sound disappointed some fans who preferred their original jazz-funk style.
After the Gould brothers left the band during the subsequent tour, King continued to lead Level 42, but the band's magic was lost, and their singles became less successful. Eventually, Level 42 disbanded in 1994, having spent an impressive 177 weeks on the British singles chart and 228 weeks on the album chart.
Today, Mark King lives on the Isle of Wight with his wife, Ria, and they have four children. Level 42 will always be remembered for producing some of the most skilled and distinctive British pop music of the 1980s.
