- January 22nd, 2007, 1:17 pm
#55125
Comedian coming to Christ Templehttp://www.herald-dispatch.com/apps/pbc ... 001/NEWS10
By Bob Withers
The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON -- Premier Productions is bringing Christian recording artist/songwriter/comedian Mark Lowry's "God is Still Crazy about You" tour to Christ Temple Church, 2400 Johnstown Road, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1.
Joining Lowry will be pianist Stan Whitmire and the Lordsong trio.
Lowry, who has spent the past 25 years on the road full time, has recorded six comedy and music videos -- four gold status and two platinum. He has been featured on more than 60 Gaither Homecoming videos and his own recent video, "On Broadway."
Lowry, 48, is a native of Houston, Texas. He attended Liberty College -- now Liberty University -- in Lynchburg, Va., from 1975 to 1980, intending to earn a business degree. But soon he began feeling called into a music ministry and, when he graduated with a youth degree, he began performing at independent Baptist churches around the country.
Lowry tells about the early days of his career, when he would have to fill the gaps between songs while he was waiting for the "little old man in the back of the church" to change his soundtracks.
"Those few seconds of 'dead air' can feel like hours when you're on stage facing a crowd," Lowry says. "So, to fill time, I'd start talking about my life and my testimony. People would laugh, and I finally realized I was on to something."
Lowry broke into songwriting as the result of his church asking him in 1984 to write a Christmas play. He composed a series of questions that he would like to ask Jesus' mother, Mary. The questions were used as "filler" between the scenes of the play. Six years later, Buddy Greene wrote music to Lowry's lyrics, giving birth to "Mary, Did You Know?" -- which has become a modern Christmas standard recorded by more than 30 artists, including Michael English, Kathy Mattea, Kenny Rogers, Wynonna Judd, Billy Dean, Natalie Cole, Donnie Osmond and Clay Aiken.
General admission tickets are $18.50 at the door, $16.50 in advance and $14.50 for seniors 55 and older and children 10 and younger. Families of four can get a special "family pack" ticket for $49 in advance. For more information, call (304) 522-7421 of (304) 523-5757.
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