Mark Helias, born on October 1, 1950, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, is an American double‑bass player and composer who began playing the instrument at age 20. After studying under Homer Mensch at Rutgers University and at Yale School of Music, he entered the jazz scene in the early 1970s, collaborating with Ray Anderson and forming the avant‑funk band Slickaphonics. He later co‑founded the trio BassDrumBone with Gerry Hemingway, releasing albums such as Oahspe (1979) and Cooked to Perfection (1999). His contributions earned multiple NEA Jazz Performance Grants, a Chamber Music America Grant in 2007, and an American Composers Orchestra Reading Commission in 2010. His solo albums include Music For Big Band (2020) and Available Light (2020).
