Mark King (born 20 October 1958, Cowes, Isle of Wight) is an English musician. He is most famous for being the lead singer and bassist of the band, Level 42. In the early 1980s King popularized the 1970s-era slap and pop style for playing the bass guitar by incorporating it into pop music. Contents Early life King began life on the Isle of Wight, a small island just off the southern mainland coast of England. His father, Raymond King, was a dairyman, and the family lived in a tied dairy house.