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Mark Tremonti from Creed has Found his Greatest Mission in Life
Mark Tremonti is known around the world for his songwriting and iconic riffs with his band’s Creed, Alter Bridge, and Tremonti, a personal legacy that also includes numerous top accolades by various guitar publications. Yet, behind the spotlight and the accolades, Tremonti’s most profound and fulfilling role emerged not from the stages of sold out arenas, but from the birth of his daughter Stella in 2021. Born with Down Syndrome, Stella Tremonti transformed her daddy’s life in ways he never imagined possible. Looking back on his journey from childhood to adulthood, Mark's decisions and experiences have shaped everything he now needs to be for this moment in time.
Mark was born in 1974 in Detroit Rock City. Growing up next to a park with constant live music and two older brothers who blasted the heaviest of heavy metal as well as artists like Kiss, Ted Nugent and Van Halen, a variety of music filtered into Mark’s brain over the years.
One night, when he couldn't sleep, he asked his brother about a song he had heard him playing: 'What’s that song about a sanitarium?' His brother introduced him to 'Master of Puppets' and ever since then he made it his mission to be in the rock business and write albums of his own.
Inspired by Ace Frehley from Kiss, Mark was 11 years old when he started playing the guitar. For a while, Mark couldn’t finish a song because his passions were more in songwriting and being a technician came second. His brothers would tell him to learn songs like Ice Cream Man by Van Halen or a song by Motley Crue but he just couldn’t do it. He even started guitar lessons and gave up as he was told to learn Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. He finally bought some instructional VHS tapes to learn what he could from them and shifted his focus on becoming a songwriter.
After recording his first album at Joe’s Music Quarters in East Detroit with his first band, Wits End, Mark's parents decided to move to Orlando, Florida. With his brothers staying back in Detroit, Mark’s way of life and relationships were disrupted. This shift brought about the darkest point in his life causing him to attach to his guitar more than ever as a songwriter.
As a student at Lake Highland Prep in Orlando, Mark recalls feeling alone as no one at the school played instruments. Feeling isolated, he remembers writing a song called Shed My Skin to work through his emotions. He would spend hours a day working on music, and although he didn’t like that period of his life, he recognizes it as a time that helped foster resilience and a strength of perseverance to overcome any challenge.
Mark says he has always been a passionate person, a trait he gets from both of his parents, which he says may be an ‘Italian thing’. “When I want something, I go after it. Even if I'm bad at it at first, I'll just keep going after it.”
While Creed is known to have formed in Tallahassee, FL the seed of Creed started in Orlando.
Mark and Scott Stapp were both students at Lake Highland Prep, both were athletes at the school and both performed the national anthem (on separate occasions).
“Scott and I met one time at a party. I remember I was sitting on the back porch with an acoustic guitar playing. Scott sat down next to me and sang a little bit, but I think that was just my introduction to somebody who could actually sing. You know, the biggest thing to find as a musician/songwriter was to find a singer because I thought my voice was garbage so I needed to find somebody.”
After graduating high school, Mark attended Clemson for a short period before transferring to FSU in Tallahassee due to tuition costs. It was there that he reunited with Scott Stapp and Creed officially formed in 1994.
Since then, Mark has achieved tremendous success, solidifying his legacy as a songwriter and musician. Although his travels have taken him around the world, his heart always returns to Orlando.
“I would have thought years ago I would have found some magical city that I just had to move to. But I always come home and Orlando just feels like a happy place. I love the weather. I love the people. I love the Architecture. It's always something. It's always constantly being rebuilt.”
Mark lives in Orlando with his wife, Victoria, and their 3 children. When their first child came along he knew he was about to enter the best moments of his life.
“You learn a new depth of love that you never had before. You learn patience. You learn that you can get four hours of sleep and still get work done. It was a beautiful time. I loved it. Me and my wife, it brought us way closer, even when you're married to somebody, you're not half as close as when you have kids together.”
Now with his two oldest being in their mid to late teens, the idea of becoming empty nesters was the most depressing thing in the world to them. Enter Stella.
Stella Tremonti | Photo provided by the Tremonti family
Stella Tremonti was born March 9, 2021. Mark and Victoria had tried for a couple years to have a third child when they got the news that she was pregnant with Stella in 2020. With both of them going through this a little later in life they made sure they went through all the testing as the process went along. It was then they found out that Stella was going to be born with Down Syndrome.
“They immediately sit you down and they talk about if you're going to keep the child or not and we're like, it's not even a question. This is our child.”
During the pregnancy, Mark began to think about who Stella would be, which began to ignite his creativity. Not only would Stella become his muse, she would become Mark’s new mission in life.
During the pregnancy Mark was obsessed with Frank Sinatra and a light bulb went off in his head shortly after Stella’s diagnosis. He had been reading all of Sinatra’s books and biographies and learned that he was a huge philanthropist, raising billions of dollars for charity, something he says people don’t really talk about.
Mark quickly called his manager and said, “Let’s get some local musicians and record a Frank Sinatra record to raise money and awareness for Down Syndrome.”
All of the proceeds from Tremonti’s Sinatra albums and concerts go to NDSS to help those with developmental disabilities. His musical work has also gained approval from The Frank Sinatra Estate and he’s recorded albums with the surviving members of the Sinatra Band.
Learn more about NDSS
Performing Sinatra’s timeless classics to raise awareness and funds for Down Syndrome has deepened his commitment to making a broader impact. As the Sinatra project gained momentum, Mark realized that his involvement could be more than just music. He envisioned a lasting initiative that would provide essential support and resources for families like his own.
The inspiration for this initiative came from a devastating moment in time when Stella was just nine months old. She needed open-heart surgery, a terrifying ordeal for any parent. In search of the best care and decisions, Mark and Victoria ended up connecting with a Senior Executive Officer for AdventHealth for Children at a local fundraiser. The Tremonti’s and Dr. Rajan Wadhawan spoke for about 40 minutes giving them great advice. Moved by their story, Dr Raj contacted them a few months later and shared his vision of creating a specialized clinic for children with Down Syndrome at AdventHealth. He invited Mark to partner with him, a proposition that resonated deeply with Mark’s newfound purpose.
AdventHealth For Children SMILE with Stella Down Syndrome Clinic
This conversation was the spark that led to the establishment of AdventHealth For Children S.M.I.L.E with Stella Down Syndrome Clinic, a comprehensive program named after his daughter, who had become the heart of his mission. The clinic, located in Orlando, became the first lifespan clinic for Down Syndrome in the Southeast. Mark envisioned it as a one-stop shop for families, providing everything from medical care to therapeutic services, easing the burdens that often accompany raising a child with Down Syndrome.
In just six months, the clinic welcomed over 200 patients, a clear indication of its necessity and success. Mark’s commitment to the clinic goes beyond funding and advocacy; it is a deeply personal endeavor driven by the love he has for Stella and the desire to support other families on similar journeys.
Throughout the years, Mark’s commitment to excellence and ability to transfer passion into accomplishment is now manifesting itself in a new way. His band Creed is back together and currently on tour, as well as his continued work with Alter Bridge and his latest musical project, Mark Tremonti Sings Frank Sinatra.
Defining The Orlando Life
When thinking about The Orlando Life, Mark Tremonti says, “It's what you make of it. There's so many different cultures here. So many different ways to live your life. It's a great city.”
SMILE with Stella
Learn more about the AdventHealth for Children's SMILE with Stella Tremonti Down Syndrome Clinic
