Today I was listening to my Mark Bishop CD and remembering the concert I went to a few months ago. If you aren't a follower of southern bluegrass gospel music, you probably have never heard of Mark. I had heard of Mark, but not because of his music...
Mark Bishop and I went to school together from the 1st grade all the way through high school. I knew Mark could sing, but I didn't know how well until recently. Back in the winter when the Grammy Award nominees were announced, my husband and I were looking at the line-up of nominated artists and I saw the name "Kenny Bishop" listed under the category of southern bluegrass gospel. I knew a Kenny Bishop, but I figured it couldn't be the same person. I was wrong. It was very much the same person. I googled Kenny and found out lots about him and Mark, his older brother.
These guys have been incredibly successful in the gospel music business (first as The Bishops with their dad, and later as solo artists) and I had no idea. I'd never really listened much to gospel music until the last couple of years and I still hadn't been listening to southern bluegrass gospel. I was so excited to find out that these two guys I've basically known all my life are making music for the Lord and had been doing so well. It's a pride thing, I suppose. "Small town boys making it big" is what was in my mind.
I bought a couple of CDs, one of Mark's and one of Kenny's. I was so impressed and still am! I listen to them all the time and so do my boys. The boys have memorized several songs and have their favorites. Mark writes all his own music, which I think is just an incredible talent. I can't imagine having the ability to do that! Every song tells a story and they're so personal and beautiful. I can see (and hear) myself or someone I know in all of his songs. I love that!
A few months ago my family had the great fortune of attending one of Mark's concerts. The boys were so excited and they thought I was way cool because I knew somebody famous. They wanted to know if Mark would remember me and I told them I hoped he would. I mean, how many "Marvas" could a person know, right? But I didn't think Mark would look out at the crowd, see me and say, "Hey! It's Marva!" Let's face it, I've changed a bit. I'm SEVERAL pounds heavier now than when I was in high school and it had been 20+ years since we'd seen one another.
The concert was held in a small church and we were getting ready to go into the sanctuary and wait for things to start, but stopped in the lobby where someone was working at a booth selling Mark Bishop CDs, etc. That someone was Mark himself. I walked right up to him and said, "Excuse me, but I was wondering if you'd remember me." Give me a break! Did I really just say that? I was mortified!
Mark was so nice though. He looked at me as if he recognized me (I'm sure he didn't) and said, "Where do I know you from?" I filled him in and we chatted for a while. He met my husband, sons and my in-laws. I told him the boys' favorite song and don't you know that was the first song he sang! At one point during the concert he began to chat with the congregation and he asked if anyone knew where his hometown was and then he said, "Well, anyone besides MARVA!" He said my name and my boys looked at me like I was really somebody. "He said your name, Mom!" my oldest son said.
After the concert we lined up in the lobby to purchase Mark's newest CD, "Abundant Sunshine," and he posed for a picture with our family and gave each of the boys an autographed picture. We're now official Mark Bishop groupies!
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