Mars Hill University trustee releases ‘Confessions of a Shameless Name-Dropper’

Press Release

From Bravo Books:

NASHVILLE, TN – The music business has taken Mark Cabaniss on adventures far from his native state of North Carolina…from Nashville to Broadway to Hollywood and back.

Cabaniss grew up in Shelby, North Carolina and then obtained degrees in music and communications from Mars Hill University and The University of Tennessee, respectively. Soon after, he fulfilled his dream of getting into the music business.

In celebration of his 25th year in the music business, this self-admitted “shameless name-dropper” relates witty and informative stories of his celebrity encounters through the years in a new book, Confessions of a Shameless Name-Dropper. Mixing a touch of the Golden Age of Hollywood with today, Cabaniss shares the inside scoop of his connections with legendary entertainers such as Shirley Jones, Andy Griffith, Bob Barker, Sherwood (Gilligan’s Island) Schwartz (including a trip to the actual Gilligan’s Island lagoon), Steve Allen, Dick Clark, Doc Severinsen, Robert Conrad, Rupert Holmes, and more. In between the anecdotes of these and others, he gives an account of his own career journey with insight and behind-the-scenes stories about the inner workings of several top music publishing companies, while celebrating the transforming power of music and the arts. The book will be released on November 16 and premiered at a book signing in his hometown of Shelby on that day.

Cabaniss states “People fascinate me. I’m a ‘shameless name-dropper’ because I like telling the stories of some extraordinary people whom I’ve had the great fortune to meet and/or work with over the years. The names ‘dropped’ in this new book are people who have inspired and motivated me – and continue to do so. Reading this book is like having a personal meeting with these stars, and my hope is that these stories will entertain and inspire all who read it.”
Steven Engel, of Nashville-based Bravo Books which is publishing the book says “We are delighted to offer this fun and fascinating account of Mark’s unique experiences in the music business. It’s an inspiring and entertaining look at extraordinary people and places with Mark’s homespun perspective.”
Mark Cabaniss is a music publisher/producer/composer/playwright and broadcaster. He is the founder of Jubilate Music and head of the Alfred Sacred Music Group (a division of Los Angeles- based Alfred Music), worldwide music publishers providing printed and digital music, recordings and resources for church, school and home.

As an ASCAP award-winning composer and arranger, Mark’s published compositions have been performed nationally and abroad, and include musicals, cantatas, and instrumental works.

His stage adaptation of the film “It’s a Wonderful Life” titled Miracle in Bedford Falls was premiered by the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre in 2008 and has been subsequently performed coast-to-coast. Other musicals include The Homework Machine (scheduled for a world premiere in Boston, 2014) and The Stardust Supper Club (featuring the music of Hoagy Carmichael, scheduled for an Off-Broadway reading in 2014).

Cabaniss is a Dove Award and Angel Award-winning producer. He is a member of The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (Grammy) 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). Mark was named Outstanding Alumnus of the Year by Mars Hill University and serves on the University’s Board of Trustees. Mark also founded and permanently endowed The Helen Cole Krause Music Scholarship.

Mark is a correspondent for Hollywood 360, a weekly nationally-syndicated entertainment oriented radio show. Mark also serves as an adjunct professor of music business at Belmont University in Nashville. Mark resides in Nashville.