Born in June 1971 Mark Wahlberg was raised as part of a large family in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Mark was the youngest member of his family.
In 1984, after losing New Edition, Maurice Starr recruited Mark and his older brother Donnie to join a new group that he was forming. This group would become the New Kids on the Block, the group that would lead the boy-band phenomenon of the 1990’s. While Donnie was keen about being in the group Mark was not so keen. Mark preferred spending his summer evenings being a teenager rather than in group rehearsals. Within three months of joining Mark decided to quit. While Donnie was disappointed with his brother’s decision, he accepted Mark’s choice and respected him for it.
While New Kids on the Block careered on to mega-stardom, Mark careered onto a life of crime. Mark spent much of his teenage years appearing before magistrates and judges while his brother was touring around the world. When Mark went to jail for committing an assault Donnie promised to work with him on a rap album when he was released. Donnie stuck by his promise, and helped Mark form the group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Donnie produced their debut album “Music For The People” which went onto become a number one seller on the U.S. Billboard Charts. The first single “Good Vibrations” was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic in 1991. Mark was now a celebrity. The single “Good Vibrations” would be used as the theme tune for the film “The Mighty Ducks” and for Calvin Klein advertisements which featured Mark as a model.