- Birth name: Marc Atkinson
- Born: Toronto, Canada
- Genres: Jazz
- Occupation: Musician, songwriter, author
- Instruments: Drums
- Associated Acts: Jessica Simpson, Neal McCoy, David Foster, The Backstreet Boys, Drew Carey, Ruth Pointer, Quincy Jones, Wayne Newton.
- On the Web: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MarcAtkinsonMusic.com
Marc began a serious study of the drums at age 15. After several years he was working around the Toronto area. At the age of 20, Marc auditioned and was excepted into Berklee College of Music in Boston Massachusetts and was granted a scholarship. It was there that Marc found his most influential and greatest teacher in Gary Chaffee. He studied with Gary for 2 years and took his advice to move New York where he lived for 1 year. It was in New York that Marc was able to further his playing ability by soaking up all the great artists playing there at the time.
After New York Marc began working on cruise ships out of Miami, Florida until 1997 where he moved to Las Vegas and freelanced until he was given a chance to audition for Las Vegas Legend Wayne Newton. He has since gone on to become Wayne’s full time drummer and Music Director where he writes all of the big band arrangements and runs Wayne’s orchestra.
Marc has also recorded and toured with various artists such as Jessica Simpson, Neal McCoy, David Foster, The Backstreet Boys, Drew Carey, Ruth Pointer, and Quincy Jones. He has also appeared with various artists on The Late Show with Craig Kilborne, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and The David Letterman show, to name a few.
Along with his playing duties, Marc has also authored several drum books including The Unreel Drum Book (Transcriptions and analysis of Vinnie Colaiuta).
Marc is currently residing in Las Vegas, Nevada.
