Bob Marks

Performing Advice from Broadway's Premiere Audition CoachBob Marks has spent more than 90,000 hours coaching singers, including cast members of nearly every current Broadway musical, cabaret performers, students winning positions at prestigious university programs, and actors of all ages. For more than four decades, singers from all over the world have turned to Bob Marks to hone their voices and nail auditions, including stars such as Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Britney Spears, Ariana Grande, Nikki M. James, Laura Bell Bundy, Ashley Tisdale, and Debbie Gibson. In this book, Bob provides 88 short, simple steps for successful singing auditions, including how to: Build confidence and presence Care for your voice and use it effectively Select music which enhances your unique style Put your best musical foot forward in any situation"Bob was instrumental in helping me book the role of Ed the Hyena and the covers of Timon and Zazu in The Lion King."-Wayne Pyle, Broadway Performer"If it weren't for Bob, my daughter would never landed the role of Gretl in NBC's live production of The Sound of Music." -Tara Kennedy, Broadway Performer"I wish I knew half of what Bob Marks knows about music, nuance, performance, and industry standards." - Elizabeth Lecoanet, International Voice Specialist"An invaluable resource for performers of any age. This is a concise, simple, and pragmatic book that I can recommend to my students." -Denise Simon, Author of Parenting in the Spotlight "Bob Marks knows how to help you be your best-prepared self in the audition room. " -Stephanie Lynne Mason, Broadway Performer

In that Rhymes and Reasons are songs, not poems, I've left them in the accepted patterns necessary to set them to music. There may be some repetition but rare is the song sang in its entirety without repeating verses or choruses especially, what is now considered the chorus. The earlier songs were primarily AABA or ABAC patterns which were the norm back then. As patterns evolved into the more contemporary verse-chorus mode, I'd suspect that happened because repetition of the chorus allows for more rousing concert finales in which audience might be tempted to sing along.

Way of Life chronicles Bob Marks' journey from high school horseplayer at Roosevelt and Yonkers to the co-author of books on Meadow Skipper and Murray Brown. He came of age during the heyday of harness racing in New York. It was pre-OTB and the stands were packed every night as the likes of Adios Butler, Bye Bye Byrd and Overtrick dominated. While friends went off to college, he learned the finer points of betting; figured out how to use the money he carried to the track for others for his own benefit; became adept at clocking warmups; and cleaned up betting on photos. By the mid-60s he was submitting articles to Wally Rottkamp's Top Trotter magazine and eventually took over the handicapping role there. While riding the subway to and from his day job his nose was buried in Doc Robbins Tomorrow Trots, not the New York Times. A subsequent job at Boardwalk Associates allowed him to use his public relations skills and gave him an opportunity to strut his stuff as the self-made pedigree Maven he had put so much time and effort into becoming. All of a sudden he was dealing with giants like Delmonica Hanover, Misty Raquel and Davidia Hanover. He worked on the ground breaking Inside Boardwalk newsletter, an opinion shaper as well as an ideal vehicle for advertising the syndicate's yearlings. It was an early progenitor of HRU. And the No Nukes video he worked on was something new and different in the industry. Meanwhile Marks' yearling prognostications and imagined races involving the best of the best from different decades were a big hit in Hub Rail. The Perretti years when Marks managed the bookings of the stallions and mares, advertised and promoted the stock for sale and wrote the newsletter. This section is a fount of information and opinions on a score of horses the farm owned, managed, and sought but didn't get. This book is aimed at those who are seasoned harness racing fans. It is not a primer for the uninitiated, though it provides a glimpse into the world of horse racing. This is a behind the curtain look at the horses and personalities who have fascinated us over the past six decades.

Way of Life chronicles Bob Marks' journey from high school horseplayer at Roosevelt and Yonkers to the co-author of books on Meadow Skipper and Murray Brown. He came of age during the heyday of harness racing in New York. It was pre-OTB and the stands were packed every night as the likes of Adios Butler, Bye Bye Byrd and Overtrick dominated. While friends went off to college, he learned the finer points of betting; figured out how to use the money he carried to the track for others for his own benefit; became adept at clocking warmups; and cleaned up betting on photos. By the mid-60s he was submitting articles to Wally Rottkamp's Top Trotter magazine and eventually took over the handicapping role there. While riding the subway to and from his day job his nose was buried in Doc Robbins Tomorrow Trots, not the New York Times. A subsequent job at Boardwalk Associates allowed him to use his public relations skills and gave him an opportunity to strut his stuff as the self-made pedigree Maven he had put so much time and effort into becoming. All of a sudden he was dealing with giants like Delmonica Hanover, Misty Raquel and Davidia Hanover. He worked on the ground breaking Inside Boardwalk newsletter, an opinion shaper as well as an ideal vehicle for advertising the syndicate's yearlings. It was an early progenitor of HRU. And the No Nukes video he worked on was something new and different in the industry. Meanwhile Marks' yearling prognostications and imagined races involving the best of the best from different decades were a big hit in Hub Rail. The Perretti years when Marks managed the bookings of the stallions and mares, advertised and promoted the stock for sale and wrote the newsletter. This section is a fount of information and opinions on a score of horses the farm owned, managed, and sought but didn't get. This book is aimed at those who are seasoned harness racing fans. It is not a primer for the uninitiated, though it provides a glimpse into the world of horse racing. This is a behind the curtain look at the horses and personalities who have fascinated us over the past six decades.

Murray Brown: Book Full and Closed. Relives a half century of harness racing legacy at Hanover Shoe Farms, universally acclaimed as The Greatest Name in Harness through the eyes of dual nationality hall of famer Murray Brown who saw it all through his dual roles as general manager for the Standardbred Horse Sales company and public relations director for Hanover Shoe Farms. You'll learn firsthand never before told revelations about the great horsemen and great horses Murray Brown encountered, in addition to the insightful anecdotes about the industry people he met along the way. Dr. Bridgette Jablonsky, the worldly acclaimed farm manager at Hanover Shoe Farms described Murray Brown: Book Full and Closed as Riveting, I couldn't put it down.

Rose Runners: Chronicles of the Kentucky Derby Winners is not just another book about the biggest party in the world. This is a book like no other for it is a conglomerate of 144 short stories of every Kentucky Derby winner. Starting with Aristides in 1875 through Justify in 2018, each winner is acknowledged and honored with a short bio. Some are funny, others intriguing, while several are heartbreaking. Howard, Marks and Hudson have done a superb job of bringing the reader to every Kentucky Derby as if they were there in person.

Meadow Skipper: The Untold Story is the unofficial autobiography of an uncrowned champion who singlehandedly changed the direction of an entire breed of animals, recreating it in his own image. It's an unforgettable saga of an equine Rocky Balboa who overcame insurmountable odds to emerge as the greatest progenitor since Adam, relayed to authors Victoria Howard, Freddie Hudson and Bob Marks, straight from the horse's mouth as only "He" could tell it. Meadow Skipper: The Untold Story is not just for animal lovers, but for sport enthusiasts and those who cherish the rags-to-riches underdogs who overcome at any cost. It reads like a breathtaking feel-good roller coaster ride, and in the end, you too will believe