A singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and teacher, Mark Nesmith has logged thousands of miles performing throughout TX, OK, LA, AR, AL, TN, and KS. His solo blues CD “A Sinner’s Prayer” fuses Delta, Chicago, and Texas blues styles and was selected by the Houston Blues Society as the Best Self-Produced CD of 2024. “A Sinner’s Prayer” reached #1 on the Roots Music Report Top 50 Delta Blues Albums, #20 on their Top 50 Blues Album Chart, and #2 on their Top 50 Texas Albums Chart. "A Sinner's Prayer" also climbed to #14 on the Big Blues Chart Canada and #45 on the Big Blues Chart USA. In true solo fashion, Mark wrote all the songs and played all the instruments on “A Sinner’s Prayer.”
Mark is also the guitarist and vocalist for the SETX based band Melon Jelly. Melon Jelly’s musical gumbo of blues, rock, and funk won the 2024 Houston Blues Challenge. They were quarterfinalists at the 2025 International Blues Challenge and were recently named Band of the Year by Doc's Blues Awards in the UK. Their CD “The Road to Memphis” debuted at #15 on the Billboard Magazine Blues Albums Chart in February. Melon Jelly also claimed the #6 spot on the IBBA Top 40 Chart in the UK, #30 on the Big Blues Chart Canada, and #24 on the Top 25 International Blues Airplay Chart (ABARAC) in Australia. "The Road to Memphis" was named the Favorite Album of February 2025 by Americana Highways.
In addition to Melon Jelly and his solo career, Mark also performs with folk and americana recording artist Courtney Hale Revia and Rustic Bird. He previously backed up country recording artist Chris Bergeron. Mark has played countless venues large and small, from restaurants and smoky dive bars to the Dallas and Houston House of Blues, the Levitt Pavilion in Arlington, the historic Stagecoach Ballroom in Fort Worth, Coyote Ugly in Memphis, and Remington Park Casino in Oklahoma City. He shared a stage in Dallas with Rick Derringer’s band and opened for country music legend Crystal Gayle at the historic Jefferson Theatre.
His songs are a melting pot of the styles he’s played over the years, a musical gumbo of blues, folk, rock, funk and americana with a soulful vibe. Melon Jelly has garnered more than 200,000 streams on Spotify and his solo CD “A Sinner’s Prayer” has more than 50,000 Spotify streams. Mark was also interviewed by Bob and Kelli Phillips and featured on an episode of the widely syndicated television show Texas Country Reporter. He's also been featured on the Fox 4 King of the Road Show. Mark also has more than 1800 subscribers on his YouTube channel with more than 200,000 views.
An accomplished artist as well as a musician, Mark graduated from Lamar University in 1998 with a BFA in Studio Art. Mark’s paintings have been included in exhibitions at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas, the Museum of East Texas, the Dishman Art Museum, the Texas Artists Museum, and the Mesquite Arts Center. His solo retrospective show opens summer 2022 at the Longview Museum of Fine Art. He has shown in galleries throughout the US and has appeared in American Art Collector Magazine, Art Reveal Magazine, the Austin Chronicle, the Dallas Observer, Empty Easel, Issue, the Lamar University Press, The Local Magazine, Professional Artist Magazine, VIP Magazine, and more. Mark’s artwork is included in collections in more than thirty states throughout the USA including the Dishman Art Museum, Duke University, Grant Thornton LLP, The Honorable Ron Clark, Chief Judge U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, and the Lone Survivor Foundation. He is represented by Bisong Gallery in Houston, TX
