Mark Sandman(1952-1999)
- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Not much is publicly known about the early life of Mark Sandman, and
that is just the way he wanted it. Friendly but private, Sandman
preferred to discuss his professional work instead of himself. This
much is known: Sandman was born on the 24th of September, 1952 and grew
up in Newton, Massachusetts. Sometime after graduating from college he
began working odd jobs and travelling, which included work as a cab
driver, professional fisherman, and construction worker. According to
Sandman he would work an extreme number of hours and spend his earnings
on trips, most notably to Colorado. Two events impacted his life during
this period and would later influence his music directly - the untimely
death of his brothers and a stab wound "to the chest" he suffered. Some
attributed this stab wound sustained during a robbery while working as
a cab driver, and the suspected damage to his heart, to his untimely
death years later. Sandman first obtained success with the blues-rock
group Treat Her Right. They were later signed, and dropped, from a
major recording label and once opened for Stevie Ray Vaughn. The band
would later break up. While still playing in Treat Her Right in 1989,
Sandman formed the rock group Morphine with saxophonist Dana Colley and
drummer Jerome "Jerry" Deupree. Sandman spent the next ten years
developing Morphine into an internationally-popular alternative rock
band, developing his home studio Hi-n-Dry, and playing in various bands
and groups in the Boston area, including the Supersonics, The Pale
Brothers, and with various bandmates from Treat Her Right. On July 3rd,
1999, Morphine was playing in Palestrina, Italy, when Sandman suffered
a fatal heart attack on stage. He was survived by his parents Bob and
Tel Sandman, sister Martha Holmes, and his beloved girlfriend Sabine
Hrechdakian. Morphine's final album, The Night, was released soon after
to massive critical acclaim. A city block in Cambridge, Massachusetts
has since been named in his honor, and a charitable organization (the
Mark Sandman Music Education Fund) was formed to honor his memory by
aiding the music education of schoolchildren in Cambridge. Annually, a
tribute concert is also performed to benefit the Fund and keep
Sandman's memory alive.