By Valerie Turner
A Washington, D.C. native, Mark Puryear is a musician and highly respected blues scholar based in Maryland who has made significant contributions to the field. With a deep passion for the blues music genre, Puryear has spent several decades immersing himself in its history, culture, and significance. After receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Music, Ethnomusicology, and Anthropology from Hunter College, Puryear earned a Master of Arts degree in Ethnomusicology and Anthropology from the University of Maryland.
As an accomplished musician, Puryear plays guitar and has been a favorite at numerous festivals and events. His 2015 Grammy nomination for Best Historical Recording (Fannie Lou Hamer: Songs My Mother Taught Me, produced by Smithsonian Folkways Recording) is one of many accomplishments. Additional musical highlights include curating Freedom Sounds: A Community Celebration for the 2016 grand opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History Culture, and serving as technical producer and artistic advisor for the 2019 Mandela 100 USA Program in Washington, D.C.
Fluent in blues and jazz, Puryear is a “musician’s musician.” He is a generous and valued instructor at prestigious blues workshops like the Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Festival – a week-long immersion where participants are inspired to explore and appreciate the blues music genre. Puryear’s knowledge of music theory runs deep and those fortunate to attend his workshops leave with improved improvisation skills and other tools to help them along their music journey.
In the early 1980s, Mark Puryear performed with Blues harmonica players Charlie Sayles and Larry Wise. Puryear also performed and toured with the acoustic blues group BluesWorks for some years beginning in the 1990s. He has performed with blues artists such as Jay Summerour, Gaye Adegbalola, John Cephas, Mike Baytop, Rick Franklin, Daryl Davis, and Andrew Ali, – to name a few! He was also a friend and collaborator of the late harmonica legend, Phil Wiggins, and the two enjoyed a special moment performing The Midnight Special live at Smithsonian Folkways (view video at the end of this profile).
In addition to his musical pursuits, Puryear has dedicated his career to studying and preserving the legacy of the blues. For more than 30 years, he has conducted extensive research, written countless articles and papers, and given numerous lectures on the subject. Puryear has also curated public cultural programs involving performing arts and cultural education. His contributions have been instrumental in shedding light on the importance of the blues in shaping American music and history.
Puryear has been an adjunct lecturer at the University of Maryland College Park, Bowie State University, and Montgomery College. He has also been a guest lecturer at Howard University and an instructor at the Community College of Micronesia in the Federated States of Micronesia. Puryear has also managed National Heritage Fellowships for the National Endowment for the Arts.
Mark Puryear’s deep understanding of the blues as both scholar and musician gives him a unique perspective that few can match. He has helped to keep the blues legacy alive, evolving, and thriving through his music, research, and writing. Mark Puryear continues to be a driving force in the blues community, advocating for its recognition and preservation. His work serves as a reminder of the power and importance of this influential musical genre.
Select Discography
The Art of Slide-Guitar
Acoustic Bottleneck – Mark Puryear and Phil Wiggins
Sonoton Recorded Music Library SCD293 Munich, Germany ©1998
Songs of Peace & Forgiveness
Cool Down – by Phil Wiggins vocals and harmonica, Mark Puryear guitar
A Benefit Recording for the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation ©2006
BluesWorks: One Step Live at IMT
Cashew Blue Records ©2002
Mike Baytop & Jay Summerour
Patuxent Music CD-314 ©2017
Phil Wiggins and Mark Puryear – “The Midnight Special”
About Valerie Turner
Valerie Turner is a renowned Piedmont Blues musician and guitarist, author, teacher and blues historian. She performs in a duo with her husband Ben Turner, who accompanies her on washboard and percussion. See the profile for Piedmont Bluz here: https://www.thecountryblues.com/artist-reviews/valerie-ben-turner-piedmont-bluz/