Marc Olsen

• Genre: Country Rock
• Hometown: Seattle
• Marc Olsen Website

About

Insofar as the Jayhawks were of seminal importance as torchbearers of the '90s alt country movement, Mark Olson is something of an architect of the genre. He founded the group with songwriter and guitar player Gary Louris in Minneapolis in 1985, and the harmonies and collaborative songwriting of Louris and Olson would be the band's signature. Olson married songwriter Victoria Williams and left the Jayhawks in 1996, just as the group's Tomorrow in the Green Grass was getting wide radio play thanks to the hit "Blue." He played a production role on Williams' Musings of a Creek Dipper and shortly thereafter formed a group with her and multi-instrumentalist "Razz" Russell, the Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers. They released three records before Olson's lead role in the group was defined on 2000's My Own Jo Ellen, which was billed as Mark Olson and the Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers. It wasn't until 2007 that Olson released his first album under his own name, the critically adored Salvation Blues, which included guest appearances from Louris.

- Nate Cavalieri