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Mark Wickliffe Biography
Mark Wickliffe was born in 1963 in Hutchinson, KS to Richard Wickliffe and Betty Hughes-Wickliffe. It seemed that Mark had a fascination for music from his first breath and began banging on pots and pans when he could hold a wooden spoon. By the time he was four years old he had attended his first concert, James Brown, and his musical fate was sealed. It was during this time that he was given a set of bongos and soon began to play. At age 7 his dad gave him an old record player and Mark purchased his first .45 records; “Run Away Child” by the Temptations and “The Way You Do The Things You Do” by the Temptations & Supremes.
Mark enrolled in the school band program when he was in the fourth grade and continued to learn and thrive in this environment through high school. While still in grade school Mark began competing in local talent shows and performing in community events such as the 1976 Follies. At age 12 he was invited to play with Clark Terry during the Junior College Jazz Week where Terry was serving as a guest clinician.
On the advice of his Jr. High School band director, Mark was encouraged to watch the Sky Ryders Drum and Bugle Corps practice. He quickly became intrigued and joined the drum line when he was thirteen and marched for five seasons. He also joined a local band, Clockwork, and began playing at several local events and weddings.
Mark attended Hutchinson Community College and study music under the direction of Bryce Luty and later transferred to Emporia State University to study jazz under Bob Montgomery.
In 1986, Mark moved to Los Angeles to continue to pursue his career.
While in L.A., he worked with the artist Ovis whose song “Regular Thang” reached #33 on American Top 40 in 1993. Recorded, co-wrote & co-produced the Ten Jinn album “As On A Darkling Plain” which was well received in Central America & Scandinavia. Also on the album “Alone” before the group went on an extended hiatus in 2000. In 1998, Ovis produced two songs on Tiffany’s album “Color Of Silence” & asked Mark to play drums. Later that year, Tiffany’s manager called & offered him a spot in Tiffany’s road band, this time on bass. From 1999-2010, Mark worked with Tiffany & eventually became her music director, until Tiffany moved to Nashville. In 2001, a friend suggested he meet with Jim Liberty & Mike Suico of the band Sweet Liberty. The original plan was to get them through a few shows they had until they could find a drummer to fill the void. After the shows were done, Mark continued to jam with Jim & Mike & eventually began writing with them. Thus the new era of Sweet Liberty was born with Mark also handling lead vocal duties along with drumming & eventually production duties. Sweet Liberty released “Accidental Coolness” in 2006 and had prepared their follow up “2 n Change”, however it was never released and the band went on an extended hiatus. Mike & Mark continued to write songs under the moniker “Gritz n Shinz” for the next several years.
During that time, Mark was also a member of the Brian Travis Band & recorded 3 albums with him & played hundreds of shows with him during a 10 year period. In 2014, he & John Strauss reconnected & recorded John’s twenty-six minute magnum opus “Sisyphus” (released under the Ten Jinn moniker) released in 2017. In 2010, Mark leaned in to his alter ego “Beau Manghani” writing, playing, & producing on his own. In 2016, he released “Immortal Love”. A concept piece based on a couple of old folk tales. In 2018, he was contacted by Mike Matier to start a new project that was at the time, unnamed. That project would become Amuzeum & the band released 1 album in 2020. However, the global pandemic stalled any further efforts for the band. In 2019, John Strauss reached out & proposed the idea of another Ten Jinn album. Mark and John would begin writing together for the first time in 20 years. They had started on 3 songs before the pandemic forced them to continue the project remotely via Skype with John in rural Pennsyvania & Mark in California sending files back & forth. In 2023, Ardis was released on Melodic Revolution Records shortly after the band’s performance at RoSFest in Tampa, FL in 2022. In 2024, Mark, under his alter ego Beau Manghani, returned to his RnB roots & released “Da Funk U Want” on his label “Non Existent Records” During that time, he was again contacted by Mike Matier to record drums for his project “Box Of Shamans”. Along with Mike, Kenny Francis & Ronny LaPine, they have recorded upwards of 15 songs for the band’s forthcoming & yet unnamed album. In 2025, Beau Manghani released “Revival” again on the Non Existent Records label.
Musical Influences Include Stevie Wonder, Steve Gadd, Todd Rundgren, Terry Bozzio, James Brown (of course), Otis Redding, Neil Peart (of Rush) as his primaries. The entire list of those who have influenced him is incredibly vast and too numerous to mention.
Mark feels very fortunate to have had band directors, such as Ray James, James Swiggart, Mike McSwain, John Simpson, Phil Scales and Dennis Fischer, George Tuthill & Bob Montgomeruy who were extremely committed to their students and encouraged them to excel in music and in life. His appreciation for their guidance is immeasurable.
