Mark Selby’s career in music began in South Dakota when he was 16-years-old and working for his grandfather harvesting wheat across the Midwest.

Selby was inspired to play the guitar after hearing a complete stranger playing one.

“A guy pulled a guitar out of a trunk of a car while we were hanging out in South Dakota after work one day, and he was pickin’ some tunes, and I was like, ‘Man when I get back home I am going to try my little brother’s guitar,’” Selby said. “I picked up his guitar when I got home, and I completely fell in love with it.”

His love for the guitar and performance has brought him to Wichita State, where he will be performing in the Ulrich Museum’s “Art For Your Ears” summer concert series this Thursday. Selby performs with his wife and vocalist Tia Sillers.

Selby began to write songs and music soon became his passion. He describes himself as a “self-taught” guitarist, but after high school he studied music in college, eventually ending up studying classical guitar at Fort Hays State University.

“I played in rock bands all through college and also played solo acoustic gigs,” Selby said. “I moved to Wichita to do work right after college, and got started as a solo-acoustic act.”

He played in various bands, and recorded several independent records. In the early 1990s, he moved to Nashville and met his future song-writing partner and wife.

“[She] is an incredible songwriter and an incredible person,” Selby said.

Their partnership has produced more than 20 hit songs. Some of the most recognizable being: “Blue on Black” by Kenny Wayne Shepard, “There’s Your Trouble” by The Dixie Chicks and “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack.

The concert will feature a wide variety of songs from their radio hits and more recent work.

“Maybe if we are all lucky, you guys in Wichita will hear a song that no one has heard before, and will be on the radio in the next year or so,” Selby said. “But let’s keep our fingers crossed for that.”

The summer concert series goes from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the McKnight Outdoor Plaza, located between the Ulrich Museum and the School of Art and Design. Refreshments will be provided. Bringing a lawn chair is recommended and the concert is free.