Artist Biography by Mark Deming
Years Singer and songwriter Marc Jonson has enjoyed his greatest success writing songs for other artists, though he has won a cult following for his small but impressive body of recorded work. Jonson was born and raised on Long Island, New York, and began playing music and writing songs as a child. Not long after completing high school, Marc's music came to the attention of Vanguard Records, who signed him to a record deal. Vanguard released Jonson's debut album, Years, in 1972, a polished but idiosyncratic exercise in baroque folk-pop with psychedelic shadows. After playing a few short tours to support Years, Jonson moved to New York City; though the album proved to be a commercial disappointment, he attracted a following on the New York club scene, and developed a reputation as a gifted songwriter. Jonson's songs were recorded by Robert Gordon ("Are You Gonna Be the One"), Dave Edmunds ("King of Love"), the Roches ("Love Radiates Around"), and Paul Butterfield ("Bad Love"), among many others. By 1992, Jonson had assembled a home recording studio, and he released a second album, 12 in a Room, under the name Mark Johnson. Last Night on the Rollercoaster followed in 2000, by which time Jonson had settled in Austin, Texas. Jonson continued to pursue his career as a songwriter, and developed a successful alliance with Disney Music, penning tunes for companion albums tied into the movies Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, and Cars. In 2017, Jonson's little-heard debut gained a new lease on life when Years was reissued on CD by Real Gone Music and on vinyl by Light in the Attic.