My guest this week is Mark Cabaniss. He’s the author of Miracle of The Music Man: The Classic American Story of Meredith Willson.
Mark Cabaniss, a writer, educator, and broadcaster whose fascination with creator Meredith Willson began when he conducted a community theater production of the musical in 1981.
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ABOUT MUSIC MAN
The Music Man stands as one of the greatest achievements in American musical theatre, but few know about its rocky beginnings and the against-all-odds success story of its creator Meredith Willson.
Mark Cabaniss steps back into the Golden Age of Broadway and brings to life the origins of this classic show, the music behind it, and the unlikely story of its creator. Interweaving behind-the-scenes accounts of people who worked with Willson, Cabaniss looks at his long and unusual career as a composer, conductor, radio personality, and flutist, which reached its pinnacle in The Music Man.
No one initially believed in Willson’s “Valentine to Iowa,” seeing it as nothing but a corny flop or, worse, a recipe for disaster. But when the curtain fell on opening night, a star called The Music Man was born. Over 65 years later, that star is still marching right to this day, endeared by millions around the world. To understand Willson, his career, and his music is to understand how The Music Man came to be: he was truly the only person who could have ever written this show due to his unique background, talent, incredible persistence, and belief. The show’s ultimate success and longevity was anything but inevitable―rather, it was truly a miracle.
source: amazon.com
ABOUT MARK CABANISS
As an ASCAP composer and arranger, Mark’s published compositions have been performed nationally and abroad, and include choral anthems, musicals, cantatas, and instrumental pieces. His concert musical Triumph of Faith (co-written with Mark Blankenship) received its world premiere at Carnegie Hall. Other musicals include The Homework Machine, co-written with Tony-nominated composer Keith Herrmann and premiered by the Boston Children’s Theatre and The Stardust Supper Club (featuring the music of Hoagy Carmichael) co-written with Alan Bailey and given an Off-Broadway workshop production by The York Theatre.
Mark is the author of five books: Confessions of a Shameless Name-Dropper; Music Business Essentials: A Guide for Aspiring Professionals; Miracle of The Music Man: The Classic American Story of Meredith Willson; 88 Keys to Music Business Success and The Annie Phenomenon: Rags to Riches Making of a Broadway Classic.
Mark is a multiple recipient of ASCAP’s Popular Music Award, the NAMM Believe in Music Award, and is a Dove Award and Angel Award-winning producer. He is a member of The Recording Academy, the Dramatists Guild, and serves on the Board of Advisors for The Music Man Square, a museum and foundation in Mason City, Iowa, dedicated to furthering music education and honoring the legacy of Meredith Willson (creator of Broadway’s The Music Man). He also created and manages the official Meredith Willson website: www.meredithwillson.com. Mark was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus by Mars Hill University and serves on the University’s Board of Trustees. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Music Publishers Association of the United States (MPA).
Mark is the founder and donor of four music education endowments established in gratitude for the teachers, mentors, and his parents who helped shape his life and career. Together, these initiatives provide scholarships, awards, mentorship, and transformative learning opportunities for future generations of music students. In conjunction with the Estate of Fred Waring and The Instrumentalist Magazine, Mark founded the Fred Waring Director’s Award for Chorus given annually to outstanding choral members coast-to-coast.
Mark began his career in Kentucky as manager and daily on-air host of a non-commercial FM radio station. Later, Governor Wallace Wilkinson of Kentucky commissioned Mark as an official Kentucky Colonel. For more than twenty years, he also served as an adjunct university instructor in music business and communications, helping prepare the next generation of creative and media professionals. He currently serves as a correspondent for Hollywood 360, a weekly nationally syndicated entertainment radio show based in Chicago.
Mark’s work in music business and broadcasting has led to collaborations with television icons Andy Griffith, Bob Barker, and Kathie Lee Gifford; Academy Award-winner Shirley Jones; legendary entertainer Steve Allen; Tony Award-winning composer Charles Strouse (Annie/Bye Bye Birdie); Broadway/pop platinum singer/songwriters Rupert Holmes and David Pomeranz; jazz pianist/composer Loonis McGlohon; gospel singer Cynthia Clawson; actor/singer Thurl Ravenscroft (Tony the Tiger/“Mr. Grinch”), and others.
Mark holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Music Education and Communications from Mars Hill University and The University of Tennessee – Knoxville. Mark resides in Nashville.
Mark’s Personal Mission Statement
To fully realize all I am created to be, and to positively impact as many lives as possible, from a Christian perspective, utilizing my God-given abilities to communicate ideas which encourage, enlighten, entertain, and/or inspire others.
source: markcabaniss.com/about
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