Born in New Jersey on April 7, 1952, started playing trumpet at age seven, guitar at 13 and bass at 17. Attended college in St Pete, Florida, where he met and collaborated in music and theatre with Arto Lindsay.
Moved to Manhattan in 1974 with Lindsay and soon after formed the beginnings of the No Wave with Sumner Crane, China Burg (Lucy Hamilton) and Nancy Arlen in Mars. With this group took part in the legendary "No New York" LP (1978), produced by Brian Eno (with James Chance & The Contortions, Teenage Jesus & The Jerks -Lydia Lunch- and DNA -Arto Lindsay-).
In 1980 produced Sumner Crane´s no wave opera, "John Gavanti", on own label Hyrax, inspired by Mozart's "Don Giovanni" and the works of Mississippi bluesman Bukka White. In 82 started the group Don King with Duncan Lindsay and Lucy Hamilton. Later formations included Arto Lindsay and Tony Maimone (Pere Ubu). In the eighties also collaborated with many others including Lydia lunch, Christian Marclay, Rudolph Grey, J.G. Thirlwell (Clint Ruin/Jim Foetus) and Fist of Facts.
First visited Barcelona in 1986 on tour with Don King and began collaborating with Barcelona musicians such as Gat, Victor Nubla and Anton Ignorant. On subsequent visits collaborated with Buildings and began first formation of Raeo. Moved to Barcelona in 1991 and in the following years developed the concept of Raeo and began working with Pascal Comelade in his Bel Canto Orchestra as well as taking part in projects and concerts with other groups such as Superelvis, Beef, Telefilme, Mil Dolores Pequeños, Jakob Draminsky and Butch Morris. With Raeo took part in various tours of Spain, France and Switzerland.
In 1997 recorded first solo CD, "Blood River Dusk" (Por Caridad Producciones), with collaboration and assistance of Silvia Mestres. Since then has presented solo concerts around Spain and France, including a series of four concerts in the Fin-de-siecle New York festival in Nantes (December, 1998) all with the artistic design of Silvia Mestres.
Convolution is the new musical/visual expression of Mark Cunningham and Silvia Mestres.

F. Metamars

• Blood River Dusk (CD, Por Caridad, 1997)
• Compulsion (solo track on "Noise Club Uno" CD, Por Caridad, 1994)
• Convolución Uno (Book-Record "Laboratorio", El Europeo, 2001)
  

as Convolution (Mark Cunningham & Silvia Mestres):

• 1 to 5 (CD, Sublingual Records, 2001)
• Smoke (CD, remixes, Spooky Sound, 2001)
• Convolution Goes West (CD, live, Spooky Sound, 2002)
• Rough Cuts (CD, Spooky Sound, 2003)

with Mars:

• 3E / 11.000 Volts (7", Rebel / 12", ZE Records, 1977)
• No New York (LP, Antilles, 1978, produced by Brian Eno;
  Mars, DNA, Teenage Jesus & The Jerks, James Chance & The Contortions)
• Mars EP (EP, Lust/Unlust, 1979)
• Mars 78 (LP, Widowspeak, 1987, compilation)
• Mars Live (CD, D.S.A., 1993, live recordings, 1977-78)
• Mars 78+ (CD, Atavistic, 1996, studio and live recordings, 1977-78)

with Don King:

• Don King (cassette, Hyrax, 1983)
• One Two Punch (LP, Doublevison, 1985, one side 45 rpm, the other side 33 rpm; "Revelry" remixed by Clint Ruin & Roli Mosimann)
• On The Mediterranean (cassette, 4 Sellos, 1986)
• Don King Compilation (CD, Atavistic, 1997)

with Raeo:

• El Diablo (Single, G33G, 1992)
• Adiós Jupiter (CD, G33G, 1994)
• Words Are Worms / Most Na Savi (Single, Amanita, 1997)
• Body Loops (CD, G33G, 1999)

other works:

• John Gavanti (LP, Hyrax, 1980, re-edited by Atavistic, 1998)

"He sketches, with agility, beautiful mysteries over synthetic bases." (BABELIA - EL PAIS)

"In this his first solo album he has looked for a palette that encloses sunstrokes and airy strolls, in a series of environmental exercises that find their best moment when the outlined rhythms intensify their sound track appearance for a scarcely dreamed documentary." (RUTA 66)

"His instrumental compositions turn into sonorous crossroads in order to create very personal sounds." (Rafa Cervera - EL PAIS DE LAS TENTACIONES)

"Sometimes he can barely manage a breathy rasp, like he was gasping for air, an any movement his music contains is slow and deliberate aside from the occasional darting line suggestive of prey avoiding a predator. The instrumental CD that maps this harsh landscape, bleached of colour save for the crimson sunsets, is called 'Blood River Dusk'." (THE WIRE)

"It is an album completely coherent with his personal itinerary: the worrying density that the bass of 'Duelo a la Sombra' offers in contrast to the sonority that is present in the volcanic fiesta of its B-side 'Duelo al Sol', the Indian accent in 'Magnesia', the surrounding effects of the trumpet in 'Smoke Signals', the use of a toy piano- inherited from his friend Comelade - in 'Night Tripper', or the personal blend of drum'n'bass and sci-fi recorded in 'Sonora Hi-Life'." (Quim Casas - ROCK DE LUX)

"In 'Blood River Dusk', a Cunningham enormously involved with the riskiest electronic tendencies propose us a trip whose constants are the explosions of sonorous terrorism, the bloodcurdling palpitations of the bass and a lacerating trumpet." (Oscar Broc - VOICE)

"In between of the non-rock and the freest jazz, his music touches and disturbs." (Josu Olarte - EL CORREO)

"Mark Cunningham gathers, in 'Blood River Dusk', nine themes in which he shows a very wide, cultural and multi-directional mosaic, full of surrounding emotions and opposite sensations." (Jose Ignacio Foronda - LA RIOJA)

"The 'dark western' emerges from this dark bleeding, shaped by cyclic rhythms and trumpets with several sides, in a lawless region and in a very personal style." (Antonio Murga - MARGEN)

"In between of contemporary jazz, experimental music and the approximation to a sometimes stimulating, sometimes dying environment." (Pep Blay - AVUI)

Magnesia (excerpt)

Night Tripper (excerpt)