Mark Howard Cancer Fundraiser Attracts Major Star Power

By FYI Staff

On Oct. 6 at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, a star-studded lineup performs at The Mark Howard “Princess Margaret Cancer Centre” Grand Concert. It includes Randy Bachman, Sass Jordan, Sarah McLachlan, Sam Roberts, and Ian Thornley, plus multiple unannounced special guests.

An all-star band for the concert includes; Brady Blade (Emmylou Harris, Jewel, Steve Earle), Doug Pettibone (Joan Baez, Jewel, Mark Knopfler), Hal Cragin (Iggy Pop, Joni Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan), and Vince Jones (Grapes of Wrath, Sarah McLachlan, Cowboy Junkies). Tickets for the concert are on sale now, priced from $100 to $250.

The event is a fundraiser to help further immune therapy research and is named for prominent record producer/engineer Mark Howard. He is a Melanoma cancer patient of Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and is bringing awareness about this disease into the public eye and raising funds that will assist research. 

Howard's extensive cv includes work with Bob Dylan, U2, Willie Nelson, Peter Gabriel, Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, Neil Young, The Tragically Hip (he earned a Juno nomination for producing Day For Night),  Robbie Robertson, kd lang, and many more. He began his career in Hamilton, Ontario, mixing shows in local clubs, and touring across Canada with King Biscuit Boy. In 1986, while working at Grant Avenue Studio, he connected with Daniel Lanois, beginning a long and fruitful musical partnership.

An earlier GoFundMe campaign to assist Howard has raised $54.5K.