By Andy Argyrakis

Depending on one’s age or genre preference, the name Mark Lowry conjures up a variety of colorful connotations. Fans of his early work may remember an early 1980s life of grassroots touring within the southern gospel style, followed by an invitation to join the Gaither Vocal Band in 1988 (where he served as baritone for 13 years). But even within that highly respected stint, Lowry attracted an entirely new audience on the Inspirational Network as co-host of “The Mark and Kathy Show” with crossover pop star Kathy Troccoli, along with a string of solo albums that mixed contemporary Christian music with comedy.

Throughout the 1990s, Lowry turned in several parody-filled projects that quickly branded him as the “Weird Al” Yankovic of the spiritual scene (as evidenced by 1994’s Mouth In Motion CD/VHS on which the entertainer sported a similar cover as Amy Grant’s Heart In Motion and tweaked her hit “Every Heartbeat” as “Every Teacher”). “I heard that a lot back when I was doing parodies, and it wasn’t as expensive to make videos back in the day,” Lowry admits of the Yankovic comparisons and the niche’s overall popularity surge. “I really didn’t get into that because of spiritual reasons, but just because I wanted to do it. I was followed by the bliss [of making people laugh] and when I was bored, I quit. The same goes with the Gaither Vocal Band… I only made a three-year commitment [at the beginning], but it took me 13 years to get bored. So when I get bored with something, I quit it and follow whatever’s next, which might find me on my back porch writing!”

Even though silliness remains in his system today, the switch hitter is perhaps best known as the gifted songwriter behind the Christmas classic “Mary, Did You Know?,” which has since been cut by a spread as diverse as Kenny Rogers, Natalie Cole, Wynonna Judd, Clay Aiken and Michael English. It’s a song that’s truly taken on a life of its own, and regardless of the season, remains a contemporary cornerstone.

“I actually wrote that lyric in 1984, but it wasn’t a song until ’91,” he recalls. “Everybody who read it loved it, and now, after all these years, it’s really not mine any more! I’ll hear it as muzak at Wal-Mart, and it doesn’t even phase me because it’s totally surpassed me. I asked God years ago for something that would out-live me since I’ve never married or had children, especially because comedy has a short shelf life…”

Though he’s remained a touring titan throughout the 2000s (supporting projects like the Billboard video chart topper Mark Lowry On Broadway), the versatile vocalist/funny bone tickler recently saw his career come full circle. His latest release, I Love To Tell the Story, is a solo project of southern gospel hymns (including “The Old Rugged Cross,” “I Love To Tell the Story” and “Softly and Tenderly”) released under the Gaither Gospel Series, backed by a spring tour with the like-minded LordSong and Stan Whitmire.

“Bill Gaither told me when I was leaving to surround myself with people who were more talented than me, and I said, ‘That’s what you do, ain’t it?,’” teases Lowry with his playful wit still in tact. “[On the tour] I’m a talk thinker where I just keep talking until I have something to say, which leads me telling the same stories [every night], but probably having them come out a bit differently every time. The stories build around the songs, and we know the first song and the last, but it’s a rabbit show from there because some time during the night the Lord shows up and hijacks the whole thing!”

For more on Mark Lowry, visit marklowry.com.