Mark Bingham (musician)

Mark Bingham (born 1949 in Bloomington, Indiana) is an American music producer, composer, musician, and engineer.

In 1966, Bingham was signed to a publishing contract with Elektra Records. After a brief stint at Elektra in Los Angeles and one single (deep regret/your problems and mine) released on Warner Bros., he returned to Bloomington where he attended Indiana University. There he joined the avant-rock group Screaming Gypsy Bandits and also began his own indie label, Bar-B-Q Records.[1] In 1975, he moved to New York City, forming the Social Climbers with bassist-singer Jean Seton Shaw and keyboardist/arranger/composer Dick Connette.[2]

In 1982, he moved to New Orleans. He started The Boiler Room recording studio and in 2001 opened Piety Street Recording.[3] Bingham and Piety Street were featured in HBO's "Treme" series. Other notable sessions Bingham recorded at Piety Street include Dr. John's Mercernary, James "Blood " Ulmer's Bad Blood In the City: The Piety Street Sessions and Fugs founder Ed Sanders' Poems For New Orleans for which Bingham co-produced and composed the music. In 2011, Bingham recorded, mixed and helped arrange the Marianne Faithfull LP Horses and High Heels.

Bingham has produced records for Flat Duo Jets,[4] Glenn Branca,[5] Dr. Michael White,[6] Ed Sanders,[7] Rebirth Brass Band,[8] John Scofield,[9] MX-80,[10] Happy Talk Band,[11] Cubanismo,[12] The Du-tels,[13] The Naked Orchestra,[14] Morning 40 Federation,[15] Mem Shannon,[16] Andrei Codrescu,[17] Sarah Quintana, Byron Knott, The Write Brothers, Paul Sanchez, Peter Stampfel[18] and Michael Cerveris among others.

A long-standing colleague of Hal Willner, Bingham participated in a series of Willner tribute recordings, including 1984’s That's the Way I Feel Now: A Tribute to Thelonious Monk, 1985’s Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill and 1989’s Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films.[19][20] He also played guitar and contributed compositions to Allen Ginsberg's The Lion For Real.[21]

In 1991, Bingham arranged horns and strings on R.E.M.’s Out Of Time.[22]

He has released two albums under his own name; 1989's I Passed For Human and Psalms Of Vengeance (2009).[23]