July 20, 2025 • 11 mins
CoolKay and Countyfairgrounds.net interview singer from Nevada Mark De Julio about how he got stated and what he would like to do now.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
County Fairgrounds in Cool Okay? Here do I have Mark
de Julio on the line with me? You do?
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Cool?
Speaker 1 (00:06):
K hi Hi? So how many years have you been performing?
And is that all have you done on your life?
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Pretty much? Yep, I'd say good fifty just sixty years okay?
Speaker 1 (00:21):
And how what was your first public appearance that you
got paid for? Do you remember?
Speaker 2 (00:28):
It was at a roller skating rank in Palmer, Alaska? Oh?
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Wow? Are you originally from Alaska?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Yes? Born and raised another high country state.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Yes, that's true. Do you write songs too?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
I do. I have composed as well, and I'm.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Okay. So how young were you when you started singing? I?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Well, the first time I sang for the public, it
wasn't not a paid performance. I was six years of
age and we used to have minstrel shows up in Alaska,
and a teacher at one of the local grade schools
got together with my father and they thought it would
(01:16):
be great if he and I teamed up. The teacher
and I, because he played guitar and sang and cut
a couple of records. We did Tom Dooley together at
the minstrel show. So that was like the very beginning and.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Your fat Your father was a performer.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
He not professional, but he did. He played harmonica, accordion, piano,
and they had like a harmonica group or kind of
a small musical group there in Palmer. But as far
as being on stage, no, okay, but he definitely nurtured
me to do it.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Oh, he wanted you to do it.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
That's on you. Yeah, and then he goes and has
the audacity de lead me when I'm six years of age.
It looks like Big G called him home.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
So okay, well, all right, so I did you go
to college? I'm curious.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Yes, I did go to college. I didn't. I went
to a couple of years in the University of Alaska, Okay,
and then I went to broadcasting school in nineteen seventy
four in Seattle. Okay, okay, all right, and you started performing.
So what were some of your earlier performances do you remember?
(02:40):
You mean, like the names of the places?
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Oh boy, right off hand in Seattle. I'm trying to think,
do you know it's been so long since I've been
Washington State. I left there in seventy three, moved to
Reno in eighty and then I really oh wow, there
was one place in Washington called the Blockhouse, which was
(03:06):
between Seattle and Tacoma and a town called Federal Way.
I know, I was there for quite a while. That
was with a trio, and then I actually I did
do yes, I'm sorry. In seventy four, after I got
through broadcasting school, I went into a dinner house called
(03:27):
the King and I in Renton, Washington, Okay, And I
was there probably a year. And then I went over
to West Seattle to a Chinese place called the New
Luck Toy and I worked there multiple performances, and then
also a town called Burian, Washington. I played at another
(03:51):
Chinese place called the Ding.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
How it's your bio and you're a married dan, your
wife sings with you too?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Oh, I've got to tell you my lovely beloved past.
In twenty twenty one, after forty one years of marriage,
did she sing with you? Though, yes, she did. She
did sing with me. We sang together probably God, I'm
gonna say seven or eight years together.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
And you write your own songs, yep, I do.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
I also play commercial, but I do have some compositions
that I've written. Okay. Oh. She and I wrote one
together just before she passed called nature, and if you
go to one of those websites, you'll hear it.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Okay, all right, So where did you end up settling
and where have you performed the longest.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
The longest I've performed it has been Reno in Las Vegas.
I would say Las Vegas now, because I've been down
here since January of nineteen ninety nine. I lived in
Reno eighteen years, but I've been down here ever since.
And so I've done mandal a bay place called Hooters
that's now a new name. I can't think of the
(05:05):
name of it. I think it's called Oi Oye or
something like that. And then I was at Bourbon Street
and the Greek Isle, which used to be the Debbie
Reynolds Theater years ago. I was between those two properties
for three years solid, for three years, and then let
(05:32):
me see, I'm trying to think, okay. And then it
was right about that time that a young lady came
in that I knew through a friend of mine, and
I was ready to get out of the casino saying,
and I told her, I said, boy, I said, you know,
(05:52):
if another venue comes up with some sort I said,
I'm going to switch gears. And she said Mark, how
would you feel about performing for assisted living, memory care
and fifty five plus communities? I said, book it. She said, well,
my dad does. So she brought her father in. The
next night, he's hooked D and myself up and we
(06:15):
started doing that. I've been doing that now for twenty
six years.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Okay, where would you like? Where would you like to perform?
Are you happy with doing that? Would are there other places?
Speaker 2 (06:27):
I am? Now I will say this because I've always
left the door open spiritually on this. If an offer
were to come along, I'm talking about like a drop dead,
gorgeous offer that you couldn't really refuse, I would probably
venture into it. I would probably venture into it. But
as far as the actual ongoing nightclub scene, eh, I
(06:52):
got really burned out with that because down here they
run him six nights a week, six hours a night,
and that's a killer. Can you imagine that over a
three year period?
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Sounds tiring?
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Dear, well, it is. And also you're putting up all
that smoke and the drunks, which I understand as part
of the business. But at the same time, I believe
it was time for me to shift gears. When I did,
and it's proven to be very successful.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Okay, all right, So there's not any real place that
you would really like to perform that you haven't had
the chance.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
I wouldn't mind doing like the grand Ole Opry or
something like that. I think it would be great.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
I talked to a lot of musicians who say that
to me too.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Yeah. I mean, somebody says, Mark, what will you think
about performing at the grand Ole Opry? And my question
would be how solid of an inquiry is this? And
then go from there and if if it were a
legitimate thing, yeah, I would. Okay, justinely do it?
Speaker 1 (08:08):
You write all of your music?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Yeah, well, I write a lot of it. Like I said,
I do commercial things as well, because you know, when
you're in these facilities and even in the nightclubs, I mean,
they want to hear too what's going on during the day,
and a lot of them like they've retro stuff, you know,
the country and the sixties seventies type music and things
like that. So I do. I've always put myself as
(08:34):
easy listening because it covers a very raw genre of
music that way.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
So how long do you plan on doing this.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
To the day I am called elsewhere? As long as
I can As long as I can physically and mentally
do it, I'll continue doing it. It is the one
thing I have to tell you that has driven me
all my life. And I know there's a lot of
people who don't know what they want to do through
their entire life, and I feel for them. So I
(09:10):
consider myself ultra ultra fortunate that I always knew from
a very very very young age what I wanted to do.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
We'll get this up and we'll get a posted a
few places, and maybe we'll get you some contacts. Do
you want to leave information for people to reach you.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
I do believe I have some on the website. I
will double check that. If I don't, I will upload that.
But I think, yeah, I'm sure I have my phone
number there because I mean that's an immediate contact, and
my emails too, but I will double check just the same.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Are there any particular states you're interested in?
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Mainly Nevada right now? I wouldn't mind taking a trip
over to Arizona, because number one, I did California for
a little while back in the eighties. But yeah, Arizona
would would be good. I mean, like I said, if
(10:10):
something happened in Tennessee, yeah, I mean I would, I
would give it a gander. Sure, Tennessee would be a
good interest.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Mark. I have a lot of singer musicians tell me
the same thing.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Yeah, well, you know, you know, And I've heard too
that they're kind of laxing their their rigidness as far
as who they want to let in over there in
Nashville too. I was reading this the end of last year,
and I don't know to what degree they're referring to,
but they they kind of made that comment specifically. I thought, well,
(10:44):
that's interesting, So it sounded like they were kind of
loosening up the like maybe didn't have to be a
hardcore sounding country person to get in there. Because one
in particular that I really did like and he just
passed was Kenny Day. I don't know if you remember
him or not, but he was pretty big in the
(11:05):
eighties and he just passed. And I know he had
a venue there in Nashville over the last few years
of his own, so you never know. And he didn't
really sound country. He sounded more pop type voice.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
There's a lot of places to perform in Nashville, decides
to grand Ole Opry.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
No, No, I understand that I just use that as
a point of reference. I'll tell you one of my
all time favorite musical performers in country was Marty Robbins.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Okay, let me get this up.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Mark all right, dare you take care and be safe please,
and thank you so much
County Fairgrounds in Cool Okay? Here do I have Mark
de Julio on the line with me? You do?
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Cool?
Speaker 1 (00:06):
K hi Hi? So how many years have you been performing?
And is that all have you done on your life?
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Pretty much? Yep, I'd say good fifty just sixty years okay?
Speaker 1 (00:21):
And how what was your first public appearance that you
got paid for? Do you remember?
Speaker 2 (00:28):
It was at a roller skating rank in Palmer, Alaska? Oh?
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Wow? Are you originally from Alaska?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Yes? Born and raised another high country state.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Yes, that's true. Do you write songs too?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
I do. I have composed as well, and I'm.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Okay. So how young were you when you started singing? I?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Well, the first time I sang for the public, it
wasn't not a paid performance. I was six years of
age and we used to have minstrel shows up in Alaska,
and a teacher at one of the local grade schools
got together with my father and they thought it would
(01:16):
be great if he and I teamed up. The teacher
and I, because he played guitar and sang and cut
a couple of records. We did Tom Dooley together at
the minstrel show. So that was like the very beginning and.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Your fat Your father was a performer.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
He not professional, but he did. He played harmonica, accordion, piano,
and they had like a harmonica group or kind of
a small musical group there in Palmer. But as far
as being on stage, no, okay, but he definitely nurtured
me to do it.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Oh, he wanted you to do it.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
That's on you. Yeah, and then he goes and has
the audacity de lead me when I'm six years of age.
It looks like Big G called him home.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
So okay, well, all right, so I did you go
to college? I'm curious.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Yes, I did go to college. I didn't. I went
to a couple of years in the University of Alaska, Okay,
and then I went to broadcasting school in nineteen seventy
four in Seattle. Okay, okay, all right, and you started performing.
So what were some of your earlier performances do you remember?
(02:40):
You mean, like the names of the places?
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Oh boy, right off hand in Seattle. I'm trying to think,
do you know it's been so long since I've been
Washington State. I left there in seventy three, moved to
Reno in eighty and then I really oh wow, there
was one place in Washington called the Blockhouse, which was
(03:06):
between Seattle and Tacoma and a town called Federal Way.
I know, I was there for quite a while. That
was with a trio, and then I actually I did
do yes, I'm sorry. In seventy four, after I got
through broadcasting school, I went into a dinner house called
(03:27):
the King and I in Renton, Washington, Okay, And I
was there probably a year. And then I went over
to West Seattle to a Chinese place called the New
Luck Toy and I worked there multiple performances, and then
also a town called Burian, Washington. I played at another
(03:51):
Chinese place called the Ding.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
How it's your bio and you're a married dan, your
wife sings with you too?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Oh, I've got to tell you my lovely beloved past.
In twenty twenty one, after forty one years of marriage,
did she sing with you? Though, yes, she did. She
did sing with me. We sang together probably God, I'm
gonna say seven or eight years together.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
And you write your own songs, yep, I do.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
I also play commercial, but I do have some compositions
that I've written. Okay. Oh. She and I wrote one
together just before she passed called nature, and if you
go to one of those websites, you'll hear it.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Okay, all right, So where did you end up settling
and where have you performed the longest.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
The longest I've performed it has been Reno in Las Vegas.
I would say Las Vegas now, because I've been down
here since January of nineteen ninety nine. I lived in
Reno eighteen years, but I've been down here ever since.
And so I've done mandal a bay place called Hooters
that's now a new name. I can't think of the
(05:05):
name of it. I think it's called Oi Oye or
something like that. And then I was at Bourbon Street
and the Greek Isle, which used to be the Debbie
Reynolds Theater years ago. I was between those two properties
for three years solid, for three years, and then let
(05:32):
me see, I'm trying to think, okay. And then it
was right about that time that a young lady came
in that I knew through a friend of mine, and
I was ready to get out of the casino saying,
and I told her, I said, boy, I said, you know,
(05:52):
if another venue comes up with some sort I said,
I'm going to switch gears. And she said Mark, how
would you feel about performing for assisted living, memory care
and fifty five plus communities? I said, book it. She said, well,
my dad does. So she brought her father in. The
next night, he's hooked D and myself up and we
(06:15):
started doing that. I've been doing that now for twenty
six years.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Okay, where would you like? Where would you like to perform?
Are you happy with doing that? Would are there other places?
Speaker 2 (06:27):
I am? Now I will say this because I've always
left the door open spiritually on this. If an offer
were to come along, I'm talking about like a drop dead,
gorgeous offer that you couldn't really refuse, I would probably
venture into it. I would probably venture into it. But
as far as the actual ongoing nightclub scene, eh, I
(06:52):
got really burned out with that because down here they
run him six nights a week, six hours a night,
and that's a killer. Can you imagine that over a
three year period?
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Sounds tiring?
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Dear, well, it is. And also you're putting up all
that smoke and the drunks, which I understand as part
of the business. But at the same time, I believe
it was time for me to shift gears. When I did,
and it's proven to be very successful.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Okay, all right, So there's not any real place that
you would really like to perform that you haven't had
the chance.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
I wouldn't mind doing like the grand Ole Opry or
something like that. I think it would be great.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
I talked to a lot of musicians who say that
to me too.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Yeah. I mean, somebody says, Mark, what will you think
about performing at the grand Ole Opry? And my question
would be how solid of an inquiry is this? And
then go from there and if if it were a
legitimate thing, yeah, I would. Okay, justinely do it?
Speaker 1 (08:08):
You write all of your music?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Yeah, well, I write a lot of it. Like I said,
I do commercial things as well, because you know, when
you're in these facilities and even in the nightclubs, I mean,
they want to hear too what's going on during the day,
and a lot of them like they've retro stuff, you know,
the country and the sixties seventies type music and things
like that. So I do. I've always put myself as
(08:34):
easy listening because it covers a very raw genre of
music that way.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
So how long do you plan on doing this.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
To the day I am called elsewhere? As long as
I can As long as I can physically and mentally
do it, I'll continue doing it. It is the one
thing I have to tell you that has driven me
all my life. And I know there's a lot of
people who don't know what they want to do through
their entire life, and I feel for them. So I
(09:10):
consider myself ultra ultra fortunate that I always knew from
a very very very young age what I wanted to do.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
We'll get this up and we'll get a posted a
few places, and maybe we'll get you some contacts. Do
you want to leave information for people to reach you.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
I do believe I have some on the website. I
will double check that. If I don't, I will upload that.
But I think, yeah, I'm sure I have my phone
number there because I mean that's an immediate contact, and
my emails too, but I will double check just the same.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Are there any particular states you're interested in?
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Mainly Nevada right now? I wouldn't mind taking a trip
over to Arizona, because number one, I did California for
a little while back in the eighties. But yeah, Arizona
would would be good. I mean, like I said, if
(10:10):
something happened in Tennessee, yeah, I mean I would, I
would give it a gander. Sure, Tennessee would be a
good interest.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Mark. I have a lot of singer musicians tell me
the same thing.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Yeah, well, you know, you know, And I've heard too
that they're kind of laxing their their rigidness as far
as who they want to let in over there in
Nashville too. I was reading this the end of last year,
and I don't know to what degree they're referring to,
but they they kind of made that comment specifically. I thought, well,
(10:44):
that's interesting, So it sounded like they were kind of
loosening up the like maybe didn't have to be a
hardcore sounding country person to get in there. Because one
in particular that I really did like and he just
passed was Kenny Day. I don't know if you remember
him or not, but he was pretty big in the
(11:05):
eighties and he just passed. And I know he had
a venue there in Nashville over the last few years
of his own, so you never know. And he didn't
really sound country. He sounded more pop type voice.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
There's a lot of places to perform in Nashville, decides
to grand Ole Opry.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
No, No, I understand that I just use that as
a point of reference. I'll tell you one of my
all time favorite musical performers in country was Marty Robbins.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Okay, let me get this up.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Mark all right, dare you take care and be safe please,
and thank you so much
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