Shortly after graduating from high school in the early 1980s, Mark Linkous moved to New York City, where he co-founded the band Dancing Hoods. The band featured Linkous on guitar and vocals, Bob Bortnick on vocals and guitar, Don Short on drums, and Eric Williams on bass. In 1984, the group released a self-titled EP; a year later, they released an album titled 12 Jealous Roses on Relativity Records, which received a number of positive reviews. The Replacements and The Del Fuegos were also vocal fans of the band after the release of their first record. In 1988, Dancing Hoods put out their second album, Hallelujah Anyway, on Combat Records. A single from the album, “Baby’s Got Rockets”, was a modest college radio hit, and its video was picked up by MTV’s 120 Minutes program. That same year, the group relocated to Los Angeles in hopes of achieving mainstream success, but broke up shortly after. Following the breakup of Dancing Hoods, Mark Linkous moved back to Virginia, where he continued writing songs. One of the tracks that he wrote during this period with David Lowery, “Sick of Goodbyes”, was recorded by Cracker and appeared on their 1993 album Kerosene Hat. While in Virginia, he performed concerts under the monikers The Johnson Family (with members of Richmond punk legends Honor Role) and Salt Chunk Mary. Linkous finally settled on the band name Sparklehorse, and released Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot on Capitol Records in 1995. He remained the only consistent member throughout the band’s existence.

In 1996, while supporting Radiohead on the first Sparklehorse tour, Mark Linkous overdosed on alcohol, Valium and antidepressants and possibly other substances in his London hotel room. Rendered unconscious by the combination of drugs, he collapsed with his legs pinned beneath him, and remained in that position for almost fourteen hours. He was treated at St Mary’s Hospital, London. Subsequent surgeries saved both legs but left him wheelchair-bound for six months; his legs never fully regained their original strength. 1998 saw the release of Good Morning Spider; some of the album’s songs dealt with Linkous’ accident in London and subsequent rehabilitation, namely “St. Mary”. In 2001, Sparklehorse released It’s a Wonderful Life, which featured contributions from Tom Waits, PJ Harvey, John Parish, Nina Persson, Vic Chesnutt, and Dave Fridmann. In 2003, Sparklehorse’s song Sea of Teeth was featured on the All the Real Girls Soundtrack, a film starring Zooey Deschanel and directed by David Gordon Green. In September 2006, Sparklehorse released Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain.

In 2009 Mark Linkous teamed up with electronic ambient artist Christian Fennesz to create In the Fishtank 15, a wafting album EP of dreamy atmospherics and experimentation. The last four live shows Linkous did together with Fennesz were during a European tour which was held in October 2009. At the time of his death, his manager confirmed that Linkous “had completed most of the work for a new Sparklehorse album”, was in the process of moving to Knoxville, Tennessee, and was working on setting up a studio where he planned to finish the record. Aside from his own music, Linkous became a sought-after record producer, and helmed works such as Nina Persson’s solo record, A Camp, and Daniel Johnston’s Fear Yourself. Mark Linkous was one of the most ardent supporters of Johnston, an outsider artist who has had a long battle with mental illness. In 2004, Linkous curated and produced The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered, a tribute album to Johnston featuring acts such as Beck, Death Cab for Cutie, Vic Chesnutt, Tom Waits and Bright Eyes. It also includes a collaboration between Sparklehorse and The Flaming Lips on the track “Go”. He provided music for Indie Rapper Sage Francis on his album Li(f)e on the song “Love The Lie”. The album and song were released after Linkous’ death.

Mark Linkous committed suicide by shooting himself in the heart outside a friend’s house in Knoxville at 1:20 pm on March 6, 2010. He was 47 years old. According to a spokesperson for the Police Department, the musician was staying with two friends. The friends said Linkous went upstairs for a short period and then told the two that he was going for a walk and exited through a back door. A witness saw him sit down in the alley near Irwin Street, pull out his rifle, and fire into his own chest. Linkous was declared dead at the scene; police did not find a suicide note, but told the press that he had been having personal problems. The musician’s publicist confirmed the details of his death to a number of publications on the same day.