Mark Salomon (born 1970) is an American singer best known as the lead singer of the hard rock bands Stavesacre and the Crucified. Other bands in which he has been a key member include the punk rock Outer Circle and rap-oriented Native Son and Neon Horse. In both Stavesacre and the Crucified, he served as primary lyricist as well. Biography Mark Salomon was born in 1970 in Reno, Nevada. However, around 1972, Salomon's mother moved to California, away from his father. Growing up around Fresno, California, he was exposed to hard rock and hardcore punk bands such as U2, Suicidal Tendencies, Minor Threat, and G.B.H. In 1984, Salomon discovered a local hardcore punk band known as K.G.B., by way of a friend attending a local youth group. However, in 1985, the band's singer, Wayne Stonecipher, departed from the band, which left the remaining members to search for a vocalist. Salomon tried out and got the position, after a brief time. Following his induction, the band decided to change their name, as they felt K.G.B., which stood for Kids in God's Blessings, was juvenile. The band briefly changed their name to Directed Youth, before finalizing into the Crucified, which the drummer, Jim Chaffin, came up with. With the name change, the lineup consisted of Salomon, Chaffin, guitarist Greg Minier, and bassist Kirk Palmer. However, Kirk departed from the band, being replaced by his brother Trevor Palmer. The lineup recorded a demo titled Take Up Your Cross, which consisted of 15 songs. Nailed, the band's second demo, was recorded the following year and the band's exposure continued to grow. Shortly after Nailed was recorded, the band members graduated from high school and Palmer left the group and was replaced by Mark Johnson. The band recorded Live at the New Order in March 1989. Now with the band consisting of Salomon, Chaffin, Minier, and Johnson, the Crucified signed with Narrowpath Records and recorded and released their debut self-titled album. Johnson left the band after the album was recorded. The band would respond to an ad in a newspaper posted by Jeff Bellew, citing the Crucified as an influence, alongside Slayer and Metallica. Bellew joined the band and drove for four hours from his home in southern California to Fresno every weekend to practice. Eventually, the drive became too costly, and he moved to Fresno to practice with the band. The band would then