Legacy left: Musician Mark Doyle laid to rest

Published 5:08 pm Saturday, January 13, 2024

: Well-known Vicksburg musician Mark Doyle, pictured at right, performs during a local event (submitted photo).

Vicksburg musician Mark Doyle died Jan. 4, 2024, at the age of 60.

Raised and educated in Chicago, Doyle moved to Vicksburg — hometown to his mother, after she died.

As a seasoned musician, Doyle performed with many well-known rock ‘n’ roll legends, including Little Richard and Bobby Rush.

“He was a musician with a number of artists,” Walnut Hills owner Joyce Clingan said. “But he was with Little Richard long term.”

Clingan, who was also a close friend of Doyle’s, said she first met him after local musician Bud Carson asked if Doyle could perform at her restaurant.

Clingan said she was hesitant at first, but eventually decided to give Doyle a shot.

“He was very talented,” Clingan said.

So much so, he had thoroughly impressed an out-of-town professional musician, who was dining at Walnut Hills one night.

“The young lady was from Dallas, and she played with a lot of symphonies,” Clingan said. “She came up to me and said, ‘I’ve been in there watching this guy play that guitar and I have never seen anything like his hands moving on those strings. I play with a lot of musicians, and none can do what he was doing.’

“And when I told her he was a rock and roll musician, she said, ‘I’ve never seen anything like him. He could be anything he wants to be.’ And I said, ‘well he is happy doing what he is doing.’”

And while Doyle was very gifted, Clingan said he was not boastful about his talent.

“He was just one of those guys who was low key and didn’t boost himself up like a lot of egotistical musicians,” she said.

In addition to performing at Walnut Hills, Clingan said Doyle would also work in the kitchen a couple of nights a week.

“He was just kind of a jack of all trades,” she said, adding Doyle was able to speak intelligently about a lot of different subjects.

“He was a very intelligent fella. He and I spent a lot of hours talking about various and sundry things,” Clingan said. “And his heart was big as anybody I’ve ever seen. He was just a fine fella is all I can say. One of God’s children.”

Services for Mark Doyle were held at 2 p.m. Saturday at C.J. Williams Mortuary Center, 1625 Monroe St. Public visitation was from 1 until 6 p.m. Friday with family in attendance from 4 until 6 p.m.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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