BBMak

BBMak Artistfacts

  • 1996-2003, 2018-
    Christian BurnsVocals, guitar
    Mark BarryVocals, Celtic pipes
    Ste McNallyVocals, guitar
  • The group's name comes from the last names of the members: (Christian) Burns, (Mark) Barry and (Ste) McNally. They embellished McNally's name to avoid being BBMc.
  • BBMak were sometimes considered a boy band because of their good looks and youth (they were in their early 20s when they got popular), but they've always written most of their own songs and played their own instruments. The "boy band" label could be helpful for marketing purposes back in the early 2000s when acts like Backstreet Boys and N' Sync were huge.
  • All the members of BBMak admit they can't dance.
  • Their sound is based on their harmony vocals and acoustic guitars played by McNally and Burns.
  • All members were born in Northern England. Christian Burns and Ste McNally were born in Liverpool and Mark Barry was born in Manchester.
  • Christian was born on January 18, 1974 which would make him the oldest. Mark was born October 26, 1978 and Ste was born July 4, 1978.
  • Every member of BBMak considers The Beatles a major inspiration. Christian's dad Tony Burns opened for The Beatles when he was in a rock band called The Signs. According to Ste, he is distantly related to Ringo Starr of The Beatles - his dad's cousin was Ringo's first wife.
  • All of the members were in different bands when they met after seeing each other at various auditions. When they realized they harmonized very well, they started busking outside of record companies and eventually landed a deal.
  • They have a ritual before every show. Christian puts his fist out and says "B" and Mark puts his fist out and says "B," then Ste puts his fist in and says "Mak."
  • During their popular period in the early '00s, they made good use of the internet, regularly interacting with fans in the "BBTalk" section of their website. This was before social media when artist websites were their hubs.
  • Mark was training to be a fireman before joining the band. Ste was working as a security guard and used to be an engineer.
  • Christian had a series of jobs straight out of high school. He worked as car salesman, a door-to-door salesman, and he was a baker. His initially wanted to be a chief but he thought about all the hours he'd be working.
  • In 2003 they broke up to pursue "individual endeavors." The members had been battling with their record label, Hollywood Records, for barely promoting their 2002 sophomore album, Into Your Head. In 2018 they regrouped, and the following year they released their third album, Powerstation.

Comments: 1

  • Stefanie from Rock Hill, ScYeah, Ringo Starr's first wife was Morene, but I can't for the life of me remember her last name. Cox maybe?
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Jon Anderson

Jon AndersonSongwriter Interviews

Jon Anderson breaks down the Yes classic "Seen All Good People" and talks about his 1000 Hands album, which features Chick Corea, Rick Derringer, Ian Anderson, and many other luminaries.

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And Scandals

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And ScandalsSong Writing

Surprise exits, a catfight and some very memorable performances make our list of the most memorable Idol moments.

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.

Amy Lee of Evanescence

Amy Lee of EvanescenceSongwriter Interviews

The Evanescence frontwoman on the songs that have shifted meaning and her foray into kids' music.

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?Song Writing

Katy Perry mentions McDonald's, Beyoncé calls out Red Lobster, and Supertramp shouts out Taco Bell - we found the 10 restaurants most often mentioned in songs.

How The Beatles Crafted Killer Choruses

How The Beatles Crafted Killer ChorusesSong Writing

The author of Help! 100 Songwriting, Recording And Career Tips Used By The Beatles, explains how the group crafted their choruses so effectively.