I'm Ready - Single

Danny Marks Returns With Soul-Stirring New Single ‘I’m Ready’. A Classic Soul Ballad with a Slow Burn and Deep Reflection on Life - Eric Alper

Few names carry the weight of Danny Marks in the Canadian blues and roots scene. From his early days as a founding member of Edward Bear, opening for the likes of Led Zeppelin and Humble Pie, to his decades as a torchbearer of the blues with BLUZ FM and beyond, Marks has remained a perennial force—a man whose time comes, again and again. Now, with the release of his latest single "I'm Ready," Marks steps forward with a classic soul ballad—one that simmers with slow-burning intensity and speaks to the restless waiting, the longing, and ultimately, the readiness to seize the moment.

"It’s been a long time, and I want you to know that I’m ready..."

The opening line of I'm Ready” says it all. Marks delivers this song with the wisdom of a road-worn storyteller, channeling a lifetime of experiences into a track that is both deeply personal and universally relatable. The song’s lyrics capture the passage of time, the frustration of waiting, and the unwavering belief that no matter how long it takes, your moment will come—as long as you’re ready to take it.

"Then you’re ready, you can come go with me / We can make it, oh yes we can..."

The slow groove and soulful delivery recall the greats—Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, and Bobby "Blue" Bland—while Marks’ signature guitar work glows like embers in a midnight fire, warm, rich, and full of lived-in soul.

Danny Marks is no stranger to reinvention. Signed to Capitol Records at just 18 with Edward Bear, he quickly made his mark before stepping into a career that saw him work with legends like Bo Diddley, Rita Coolidge, and The Drifters. He built his reputation on the Toronto club scene, became a familiar voice on CBC Radio, and spent the past 25 years hosting BLUZ FM on JAZZ FM91—educating, entertaining, and keeping the blues flame alive.

Marks has seen the music industry change, but the soul of the blues remains the same. In “I'm Ready,” he adds another timeless entry to his catalog—one that nods to the past but walks boldly into the future.

With “I'm Ready,” Danny Marks extends an invitation. It’s not just about his own journey—it’s about all of us. Whether you’ve been waiting on a dream, a breakthrough, or just a sign that it’s time to move forward, Marks offers a musical hand to hold.

"Are you with me now? Do you feel like I do? Then you’re ready… you’re ready too."

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Man On The Radio - Single

Musician & Broadcaster DANNY MARKS Spotlights Radio’s Enduring Power to Connect With "Man on the Radio" Single - Eric Alper

Toronto-Based Artist Honours the Medium that Shaped His Life with Advance Single from Upcoming Album, Lifeline

Whether we’re alone or in a crowd, listening to the radio has always felt like a one-on-one experience. It seems like the DJ is talking directly to us. It’s where many of us have formed unique, personal connections with the songs we’ve heard as if they’re our own personal playlist. As a broadcaster himself, Danny Marks knows the power of radio very well. And as a lifelong musician and singer-songwriter, he’s celebrating radio’s enduring influence with his new single, “Man on the Radio” — available now.

“Radio has come up big to reach people at home and heart in trying times, an intimate connection that reaches around the globe,” says Marks. “‘’Man On The Radio’ comes from this place.”

Soulful, smooth, country-tinged blues with a heartfelt, nostalgic tone, “Man on the Radio” is Danny Marks’ story about his love and reverence for a music medium that has been a cherished part of his life from childhood to today. The single advances a new album by Marks called Lifeline, due out this summer.

Take my hand, understand I’m the man on the radio.
You’re just in time for the show and I wouldn’t start without you.  
One by one, that’s how it’s done. We’ll have fun together.
You and me – the sweet frequency.
Good company, whatever the weather.  
I’m the man on the radio.

For over 100 years, radio has been our good company through trying times and good times alike. For Marks, the Toronto-born and raised music maker and connoisseur, radio is an inter-generational phenomenon; radio is truly in his blood.

“Radio reached my Dad in the 1920's from the Cotton Club, Grand Ole Opry, and beyond,” recalls Marks. “Dad would get a crystal set, in the 1920s, and listen to the Cotton Club with Cab Calloway. He passed along that love to us, with a shortwave radio and the art of radio.” 

As a kid, Marks would fantasize about hosting his own radio show when he wasn’t obsessing over his love of the guitar. 

“When I was twelve years old, I was part of a radio play at the national broadcaster, CBC,” he remembers. “They had crinkled up stuff to make it sound like a fire, coconut shells for the horses’ hooves, A little funny door on a platform to open and close. We gathered around the mic and the performers had their arms around each other’s shoulders. I’d been to drama school, but radio – it seemed so intimate. Being on that side of the mic – I always wanted to.” 

The guitar Marks got when he was 11 and the lessons he took afterward were his first steps toward musical success in Canada and the U.S. as a founding member of late ‘60s / early ‘70s pop-rock band Edward Bear, signed to Capitol Records. However, his love for “being on that side of the mic” also led to success on the airwaves in a different way. He became ‘the man on the radio’. 

In 1987, Marks was discovered by CBC radio producer David Malahoff and was put on to a show called “Basic Black” with Arthur Black and Shelagh Rogers. That was Marks’ learning ground throughout the ‘90s before being offered his own show on Toronto’s CJRT FM, which became JAZZFM91. For over 20 years, Marks has hosted the BLUZ.FM show, a Saturday night oasis of “all the colours of the blues” including one hour of “Beyond the Fringe” global music.

For Marks, hosting a radio show is quite parallel with playing a live performance. 

“The idea that you can tell a story through a succession of songs on the radio, is not unlike how I would work a set at my performances,” explains Marks. “It’s so beautiful to hear one song dovetail into another and the mood shift. What you look for in joining music to tell a story.”  

And in this age of digital streaming and playlisting, radio’s story is still a never-ending one for Marks and many others. “In the 21st Century, radio's days are far from gone.”

“Man on the Radio” from the forthcoming album Lifeline is available now.

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Cities In Blue

1. Houston To L.A. 2. Belt Line Blues 3. Once I Was Crazy 4. Kansas City Shout

5. Memphis Got Soul 6. Heading Down To New Orleans 7. Blues Came To Chicago

8. Going Down The Road 9. Hey, New York Town! 10. Land Where Blues Began

11. Lights Out (Bonus Track)

 

A Friend In The Blues - OUT OF PRINT

Review of "A Friend in the Blues" in New Canadian Music