Mark Andes

Mark Andes (born February 19, 1948) is an American musician, known for his work as a bassist with Canned Heat, Spirit, Jo Jo Gunne, Firefall, Heart, and Mirabal.

Early life

Andes was born in Philadelphia, but grew up in Los Angeles, one of two sons of actor Keith Andes (1920–2005).

Musical career

As a teenager, he was an early member of Canned Heat, but left before the band was signed to a recording contract. Andes was a founding member of the band Spirit. He played bass on their first four albums and on some subsequent reunion albums. During a bout with the flu, Mark co-wrote one of Spirit's first singles, "Mechanical World," with fellow Spirit member Jay Ferguson who was a friend from High School.

Spirit was noted for its hybrid sound of rock and jazz styles. The group released groundbreaking works such as Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus (1970), that were critically lauded later on, but commercial success largely eluded them at the time.

When the original line-up of Spirit broke up in 1971 over money, Andes and Jay Ferguson formed the band Jo Jo Gunne. He recruited his brother, Matt Andes, to play guitar. Andes only recorded one album with Jo Jo Gunne before semi-retiring from music around 1972. During his stay, the band had a Top 40 hit with the song "Run, Run, Run". When Jo Jo Gunne reformed for a new album and gigs in 2004, Andes was included in the line-up.