Famous Reading: RMHS Alum Builds Folk Career

Reading Memorial High School alumni Mark Erelli doesn't fit the title of rock star – not really.

The 36-year old has shared the stage with some legendary performers like John Hiatt, but his style sounds more like Bob Dylan than Black Sabbath. His music weaves together stripped-down guitars with poetic lyrics and an unencumbered vocal style.

According to his official biography, Erelli caught the attention of a producer during a jam session at a folk music conference. He released his first album, "Mark Erelli," in 1999, and has produced eight more since. With his work, he won the Kerrville New Folk Contest and earned four Boston Music Award nominations.

He has since expanded his instrumental abilities, playing 11 different instruments on his fifth album, "Hope & Other Casualties." In 2009, the Darwin Song Project invited Erelli and seven other artists to the United Kingdom to write and perform songs inspired by Charles Darwin.

Erelli built his career in the face of a congenital condition that caused his lungs to collapse multiple times. Once, Erelli said, his lung collapsed while he was on stage, performing in Philadelphia.

The 1992 graduate from RMHS returned to the school in 2009 to participate in a production of "The Laramie Project." He now lives in Somerville.