Pool Of Sound - BBMak

BBMak

Mark Barry, Christian Burns, and Stephen 'Ste' McNally form the group 'BBMak' and met in 1996 at an audition for a promoter seeking to form a vocal harmony group similar to 'N Sync' and 'The Backstreet Boys'.
Mark Barry grew up in Manchester and became adept at bagpipes and penny whistles, winning four national English championships by the time he was 17. He developed an early appreciation for American Motown group 'The Jackson Five' and emulated the vocal style of lead singer Michael Jackson.
Christian Burns was born in Liverpool and is the son of Tony Burns, a member of the Liverpool band 'The Signs', which performed as an opening act for 'The Beatles' in the Cavern Club.
Stephen McNally was also born in Liverpool and began playing guitar at the age of 14.

Each of them advanced to the final selection process, but the promoter lacked the financial support to take the project further. Following their audition the three repeatedly came across each, frequenting the same night clubs and music venues in Manchester and Liverpool. They eventually agreed to leave their respective bands in order to form their own group with Mark on lead vocals, Christian on rhythm guitar and vocals and Ste on lead guitar and vocals. Taking their name from the first initials of their surnames, 'BBMak' began composing their own material and crafting the three-part harmonies that would become their musical trademark.
Having burned the first two songs, 'Again' and 'Love Is Leaving', on a CD, they took it to London but were unsuccessful and returned to Liverpool without securing a contract. They subsequently played a showcase for record company executives who had gathered to hear promising new acts at a Liverpool venue where, focusing on two acoustic guitars and three voices, the band impressed its audience. Barry said, "Every single major label came up, including someone who flew in from America. We did five acoustic songs, and it went down fantastic."
Their performance landed them six offers, placing them in the midst of a bidding war between the labels and they eventually signed a contract with the UK independant record label Telstar.

In 1999 the group's debut single, 'Back Here', made it into the UK Top 40. Their debut album, 'Sooner Or Later', was released in 2000 and sold over one million copies, giving the re-release of 'Back Here' more publicity and the single eventually climbed to No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart and No.13 on the US Billboard Chart. The UK single also included the group's rendition of the 'Extreme' song 'More Than Words' which showcased their rich harmonies.

Their next single, 'Still On Your Side', reached No. 8 in the UK and No. 54 in the US and the band closed that year with a sell out 26 date US concert tour plus a live performance on MTV's Times Square New Years Eve Special.
In 2001 they released a DVD, 'Sooner Or Later: Our First Year In America', together with their 3rd single, 'Ghost Of You And Me', which peaked at No. 8 on the US adult contemporary chart.
In August 2002, their second album, 'Into Your Head', was released and reached No.25 on the Billboard 200.
'BBMak' stood out with their self-penned, pop-rock, guitar-toting sound that was filled with cathartic sing-along songs and between 1999 and 2003, when they disbanded, they had sold three million albums with hit singles worldwide.

On the 29th of March 2018, Christian Burns confirmed that the band had reunited after a 15-year hiatus and on the 1st of April 2018, the group uploaded a video to Facebook of a performance of their first single, 'Back Here'. In January 2019 the band confirmed plans for a worldwide tour and a new album, 'Powerstation' with the first single from the album, 'Bullet Train' released on the 3rd of May 2019. The album, produced by 'BBMak', Jonathan Radford Mead, Steve Chrisanthou (Corinne Bailey Rae) & Firebox was released on Friday the 11th of October 2019 via Topanga Creek Records and The Orchard.

 see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2020/04/pool-of-sound-hokum-clones.html