Mark Hubbard!! joins The Choir Room | The Choir Room Podcast | Sonya Blakey & Deandre Patterson | Ep. 2

None

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
Praise the Lord. Yeah like that, don't you. It's so laky.
Welcome to the Choir Room, abrand new prodcast doing it with my radio
brother and friend, Yondre Patterson.Yeah, Praise the Lord. What's the
choir room all about? Choir roomis really to inspire our ministers of music.
I acquire people, our pastors,our churches and singers, you know,

(00:24):
to kind of get back into thechoir swing of things. And we
talk about choir etiquette, choir,the chorum, the good, the bad,
and the ugly, and just youknow, that's that's the choir room.
What happens in the choir, Whathappens with the choir because a lot
a is go down to the crYeah, and guess choir Master of the

(00:45):
day is the one and only,the world renowned Mark Covered. Yeah,
welcome to the choir room. What'sup everybody? What you thought y'all?
Do the Praise the Lord thing?I got you, I'm gonna let's stop.
I had I had to do itbecause Sonya Sonya came right, So
that's how we have to do it. Especially because she does the show at

(01:06):
six o'clock in the morning, soshe's got to be bright bushy eyed,
bushy tailed, bright eyed, praisethe Lord. Yes, the faces doing
it for me right now, takethe pictures to me. So yeah,
welcome to the choir room. Man. You guys, thank you for having
me. You've been such an amazingchoir director and producer and event planner for

(01:26):
the city of Chicago, and we'reglad that you're part of now our second
one. Wow. We excited aboutthe choir room. Man, I'm on
to get the phone call and tobe asked to come in, it's just
such a major Oh, you haveto be the second person well for the
new series. That's and I lovethat. I love and thank you son,

(01:46):
Thank you, appreciate you. Howmany years you've been doing what you've
been doing? Mark in the musicrecording wise, recording wise, thirty five
what yeah? Yes, starting rightout of my fresh at my mama's were
on, I'm only thirty five inJesus name raised the Bible, sit right
in front of me, right righteverywhere. Yeah, thirty five years.

(02:15):
Yes, yes, sir, UnitedVoices. We started off his United Voices
for Christ. Yes, and thenover the years I found out it's a
long name for people to say,so we shorten it Tomorrow Company and the
voices, Yeah, voices. Ilike that. Where did your passion start
for for choirs and for gospel music? Well, I mean I think you
guys were talking to Pastor Drestment andCosmo earlier, and so I have to

(02:37):
say that my passion for choirs actuallycame from She Hates and the Words.
My mom used to take my brotherand I to the eleven eight eleven PM
broadcast and I was just astonished tosee how disciplined the choir was al of
Cafe, one of the best directorsin the world. I was just disc
I mean, it was just blewmy mind. And I will always say,
man, I want to be justlike that. And then even as

(02:59):
a child, my brother used tocook. Actually I can't even bail eggs,
but anyway, my brother's a cook. So while my brother was in
the kitchen and watching my mom cook, I was in the front room play
a director. I used to havetwenty five penies. I was as a
choir and I would put a quarterin the middle and I was the choir
director that my mom would put onFather Hayes' music in the Words, and

(03:19):
I was just sit there and justdirected. So I have to say that
was my major influence and my passionto actually get into choir music and being
a choir director. That's amazing.Yes, choir music and choir robes and
everything, because your choir, yourchoir did have nice rolls, yes,
rolles, and earlier there was noear rings. Maybe the little nudge in
there. I mean, your hairhad to be a certain type of way,

(03:43):
the shoes matched everything, and youwere not allowed to wear it outside.
So all of it. But wegot all of that from from Reverend
Hayes. Yes, but yeah,love rolls. Back in the day,
we definitely wore rolls. I stoppedwearing them because my style of directing it's
kind of unique. And I literallyspray my ankle and broke it twice directly
with a road ball. So meand God had a conversation and I said,

(04:04):
Lord, just give me the sameAnnorunton in a suit that you would
give me in the choir rope,because I can't do it. He did,
Okay, he did, he did. It wasn't in the choir.
He wasn't in the choir road thesame. But I still had the same
with Norton and saying everything in mysuit like it. Wow, other than
the voices. I mean, you'veworked with many choirs, You've been a
part of other choirs. Can youjust name a list of you know,

(04:26):
church choirs. Yes, sweet onthe spirit clarity, trying to I was
work with that choir, I actuallyproduced that first project. I worked with
a lot of seminary choirs and thingslike that. So I mean it definitely
working with a lot of choirs.Yes. Adding to that question, are
you the brain behind the Lord isblessing me? Yes, sir, so

(04:49):
you picked it up? Yes,yes, DeAndre what's his name? God,
I forget his first name. Iremember hearing them do it so as
so far as far as doing that, so I have to take that and
disarrangement and make it spirit. Soyes, that's me. So you know,
back in the seventies, early seventiespast the Woods and Christian Tabernacle did

(05:10):
it just like that, but theydid it slower. Oh okay, right,
Well, I can honestly say Ididn't get it from that because I
never knew that. I knew that. And what's interesting is that at Corinthians
Temple where I grew up, theyused to open up their broadcast, but
that song Lavony Witley would open upthe Lord and then he said, I

(05:34):
forgot exactly what the words he wouldsay, but he would come behind that
and say some words. So thatthat's that song has a lot of history.
Yeah yeah, but it actually thatsong and uh, it's only a
test. It's to the songs thatand my worship is for real uh songs
that Sean Mitchell, the songs thatput spirit on the map. So I'm

(05:57):
glad to be a part of thatand be able to put through the first
project. Yeah, that's some goodstuff. So you had you had a
friend that everybody loves and we playhis music. Steff definitely on Step Back
Saturday. Orlanda Draper, I haveto say yes. Orlanda Draper was one
of my best friends and one ofmy mentors. Real as I said,

(06:19):
you know, I watched alex caFey, I watched Tyrone Block, but
I met Landa Draper and he changedmy whole life as far as his approach
to music, his style of director. Uh, and I literally would mimic
him a lot of my styles butstill made it my own. But he
definitely was my mentor. He justshowed me a lot of things discipline wise,

(06:42):
as far as how to with howto work with choirs, his approach
to music. So yeah, hewas definitely a major influence in my life.
Wow, I would say that there'sa community of choir directors that,
like, I wonder what the languageis when masters come together, Like you
know, of course, I knowyou're great friends with Donald Lauren. Yes,
he get Tri City Singers, hasa Kaylea Walker. So when when
choir masters come together, what y'alltalking about? We don't talk about choirs.

(07:06):
I would say this, we andwhen a lot of cost wise and
DeAndre can pass. Excuse me,DeAndre pass, and your members are listening,
I don't want no text. Hisname is passing. When we all
get together, we talk about life. We talk about life, and because
this is what we do for aliving. God's misses what we do for

(07:28):
a living. So that's our outlet. So when we get together, we
talk about life, what life means, and how things are going, you
know, and DeAndrea always has awhole lot of other stuff he want to
talk about when we bring him back. We ever, we have a we
have a friend that we will leavename nameless. Yes, we have a
friend that we leave, We'll leavenameless. And when he comes to town,
I'm always asking when you come bythe church. You know he comes

(07:50):
there right around Thanksgiving November time,when you come by the church, where
you come by the church. Ididn't come to Chicago to go to church.
I'm gonna hang out with Mark.I'm gonna hang out with Mark's brother.
We're gonna go to the restaurant.We're gonna go to the moon and
we go eat Thanksgiving. That so, speaking of that friend you don't want
to I can. So there's richessmy when he comes in and him and

(08:11):
Donald Lawrens both told me, we'resick of time to go in to church
on Friday because I would do Fridayafter Thanksgiving musical concert. It will always
be after after the Friday Thanksgiving.So it was like we tried to putting
on church clothes, we trying togo into the concert. They literally made
me stop, and the choir wasloving them. I mean the choir was

(08:33):
just like, thank you Donald,thank you Richard, because we don't want
to do it either. That's reallythat's what I'm doing, trying to get
Richard and Donald. The periods notgonna happen. So again, that's our
that's our time of outlet when wecan't do you know everything, I believe
it even says in the Bible.You know again not a Bible quarter,
but I live by it. Youshould have balance in life. Everything is

(08:56):
a season. That's scripture right there. Thank you, pastor. That's what
you was trying to say. That'sthe reason why you passed three churches,
because you should. You shouldn't knowthe word. You shouldn't know something at
least of course. But anyway,as I was saying, balance is what
we do. I get it.And so when we talk about how we
do, we talk about different pointsof our in the music industry at times,
Yeah, iron sharpens iron, right, the large Jeffards are What would

(09:20):
you say? I'm sorry? Whatwould you say, like, because you've
worked community choir in church choir,what would you say is other than the
obvious, what's the difference between achurch choir and a community choir? You
know, we know the church choiris a church choir. Community choir is
a loty of merchant barious communities.What would you say is the distinct differences
between the two? What again?I think you just basically said it there's

(09:43):
a difference as a race too,because a church choir is definitely under the
leadership and it belongs to the churchand not to the choir director or the
minist of music. Always I tellpeople this choir belongs to Bish Larry down
Delle Trotter, and we just serveas a service. As a service,

(10:05):
so as a community choir, thenas me as a leader the voices,
Uh, that's my choir and sowe they are under my leadership. But
I'm not that covering. I'm notthat pastor. We don't do none of
that. You have a cover youhave a pastor. Do we pray together?
Yes, we read the word together. Yes, there's a certain type
of thing that we have disciplined riseas protocols far as a community choirs concerned.

(10:26):
But I always make it good.I am not your pastor, so
at the apartment your spirit, Iam the acquired leader. But you have
a pastor that you need. That'syour covering. So I guess, I
guess I'm go back to ask youa question. You basically answer it,
though there's a just because the churchchoir belongs to the church and community quire
is a body of people that cometogether from different churches, different uh walks

(10:46):
of life and things like that tocome together just to seeing God's praises and
the ministran So back in the day, some pastors don't allow their church being
the community a choirs. Look actually, I mean or did it depend on
what choir wants. Yeah, BishopChambers would not allow us when we were
kids to be a part of communitychoir, even though I think we had

(11:07):
a few members that went on andtried to do it. But I think,
you know, to extend that thatanswered it to your question. I
think community choirs can we say thingsthat community choir members can do in places
that community choirs can go. Sometimesthe local church did not have that exposure

(11:28):
and a Mark Cupboard or Ricky Dillardor Richard Smallwood or you know hes Kyle
Walker. They were traveling all overthe country and all over the world,
and so people that wanted to getsome traveling they could sing, but just
wasn't willing to leave they five memberchoir at the church. They say I'm
gonna go and be a part ofthis choir. And so I think I

(11:48):
think that is that is another anotherreason or another difference for the community choir
in the church choir. But Ido believe sometimes that we have got the
bad rap on, the bad reputationbecause we are community choir. Is that
everything goes on in the community choirand this, that and happens, and
it's not the case with every communitychoir. I can't speak for it,
but I will always say the samething you said going on in the community

(12:11):
choir can definitely happen in the churchchoir as well. So it's not about
the organization, is about the peoplethat's a part of it. So therefore,
because there's some I mean Richie's here, they can tell you basically,
especially in my heyday, I wasextremely strict, like you couldn't watch we
would travel on the bus, youcould not watch any movie. We need
cursing in it. I mean thirtymiles outside of the destination we get to.

(12:35):
Everybody went into prayer, and Ibelieve because we believed, and I
still believe, there is the orderin which you need to follow as far
as getting yourself prepared for ministry.So you know, sometimes community choirs have
getting a bad rep and sending thatwith this and with that, but we're
not. I can't speak for everybodyelse, but I can seek from mine.
You know, we really believe inthe Bible. We believe in making

(12:58):
sure that we're disciplined. So,like I said, so you know,
like I said, it's not justthe organization, it's the people inside of
it. Do you think that?Do you think that the communities in which
we live Chicago and other communities,as directors are getting a little older?
Mark? Do you think that?Kere for reverend? Okay, I'm just

(13:20):
saying, I'm just saying, careful, we are the same age. Oh
okay, I think you're right.As a matter of fact, you're a
couple months older than I am.All right, keep going. What about
community choirs? You know it usedto be numbers. Back in the day,
choirs had twenty and thirty and fortyfifty voices. Now community choirs have
gotten down to ensembles. What isthat? Well, no, I could

(13:41):
tell exactly what it is. It'sindustry and so because I back in the
day had what ninety voices, andso as far as industry is concerned,
people are not flying ninety people orthey're not taking care of fifty people.
So you have to fit what theindustry is working with right now. And
so it's easy to move an ensemblearound basically where you go. So you

(14:03):
see a lot of major choirs eitheryou know, just having that ensemble or
having a group or not enough totravel with. Because it's industry, you
know, everything decided. It's abusiness. So ministry is ministry and ministry
also is a business. So wehave to make sure that we a lot
of us a line up to thatpoint. I know, me personally,
I'm good with the amount of peoplethat I have because I understand ninety voices

(14:26):
was ninety different personalities and ninety differentthings you have to go on. But
I was God equipped me to handleit then, as you said, equipp
me now to handle the twenty fivethat I have, Thank you Jesus.
And so so again it's one ofthe just industry. And but there are
still a lot of choirs who haveninety and you know, they know how
to work around making sure they canmaneuver. But if you be truthful about

(14:50):
it, because not many choirs aretraveling on coach buses. Back in the
day, we did coach buses.You know, we went to singing at
Apollo and I had two coach bussesand a van Boby Jones, he did
show it the Apollo and we allwas on the road when but they're not
doing it now, so you knowit's you know, either enough for a
tour bus or flight. Do youthink that do you think I'm sorry,

(15:11):
Sony, because do you think thatthat was Do you think that that is
doing the communities and unjustice? Ifthat's if I said that right, because
you know your young people would loveto go to Mount Piska when you had
Henzeki Walker, come, y'all,somebody had on some golden black robes.

(15:31):
Somebody had on some blue robes.I think that was that was he had
on a gold and black and wehad a court. Yeah, and it
was a whole lot of people there. But my point is when you're when
you're when your choir was huge,your crowd was huge and people were able
to enjoy. So now today wedon't have those kind of musicals anymore because

(15:54):
the industry. So we got toblame the industry on a deficit with the
church and a deficit with our communitychoir numbers in in the cities. Yeah,
I mean, it definitely had animpact, you know, and it's
really based upon the artists and basedupon their influence in the industry where they
can bring the people out. Butit's definitely the industry that has had an
impact on how we approach our differentevents and concerts and just like that.

(16:18):
Because again, if you you know, back in the day, when I
had one hundred or ninety Foir members, each one of them were required to
sell twenty tickets. So twenty ticketsor nothing, that's it packed. Right
now, the twenty five that Ihave, there's no requirement, you know,
just you have to just you know, we actually you sell them,
but say fifteen sail and ten don'tand they decided to give a donation.

(16:40):
Again, our crowd will kind ofdiminished unless you have that type of following
that people will come out and supportyou no matter you know, your size
of your your ensemble, your choir. But yeah, it definitely has an
impact on it. I think Isaid unjustice injustice? Did I say that?
I think it's okay. I've beenup since six o'clock. That's what
you're going. What you what you'redownsizing? I'll is use the working word

(17:03):
downsizing. The size of your choirhas has it the sound of your choir
change, you know from when yourecord it down by the riverside and now
you get a new song for therest of my life. Has the sound
changed because you know, it's it'ssmaller or whatever, or you've evolved,
maybe you're doing it differently. No, I mean, I wouldn't necessary say
it's changed. My approach to howI teach my choir, of approach to
how what different sounds that I wanthas changed a little bit. But I

(17:27):
still because of how who I amand because of the style of my training
and my other choir director, TomRoss, because of the style that we
trained the choir, and it stillimpacts the same Voices sound that we've had
when we were United Voices for Christ'llnow let me tell you them kids could
sing God wow. And not comparingthem to anybody, but we got some

(17:52):
friends that are in the industry andthat and and and they've they've done well.
But when I talk about vocal tonequality, my couple in the United
Voices Christ, yeah, I meanI worked them hard enough. You did
that two or three two or threehour rehearsals and you know, you know
back in the day, two orthree hour rehearsals and they were staying at

(18:12):
least two hours of me. Ifyou didn't get it right, So I
mean it was just. But again, how our different approaches to vocally,
how we talked to choir with toneand different qualities is what made the sound.
And so then of course I wouldlisten to other people like try City
and the Socialist and bron Smith,the Brust and the Costal Polity, put

(18:33):
those blend those sounds together to makemy own sound as well. So you
know it was. Oh, Ihave to say progressive life because right here
that I call you, that youngman over there, I mean one of
the best minists of music and choietmasters of this day passed on the past,
and I mean progressive life Cathedral Qui, I mean still to this day

(18:57):
when he could say he had themsame children signed in. So those type
of people, you know, yeah, said what I'm sorry, yeah,
but what's the what's the anthem songthat you guys do? And I love
you? Just did that your birthdaything? You calling everybody up. God

(19:18):
can do anything. Yes, Lord, let me tell you that I love
I love you. But anyway,okay, Qui. Actually the Radiquier is
getting ready to do, uh,we're doing We're doing a reunion. This
will probably be the last one fora long, long, long time,
but we're gonna do another for pastdown for seventieth birthday. Wow, So

(19:41):
back together right right, Mark Cover. We're gonna rerap this up real quick.
But I like we're using the wordinfluence. So you know with what
you've done, you know with yourchoir, your influence has spread into other
areas. I mean your work withthe Grammy Awards and how you're helping to
produce big events like the Dalla's InspirationCelebration. You're doing a lot like you've
been spread out, spreading your manygifts and that's because of you know,

(20:04):
the discipline that you brought just yourexcellence. Let's talk about how you're influencing
other areas and even artists, upcomingartists. What are you what you're doing
now to keep the culture of gospelgoing. So I believe in being a
transsetor and setting those type of trendsthat as Theodrey say, evolving myself,
I guess that's not the right andso we're doing that. As you said,

(20:26):
being the former president for the Men'sChapter for the grabb has allowed me
to stretch my stelf in different areas. So we uh put together created a
platform called the nectual case you wouldsay that really nessly just takes up and
cooming artists and put on a platformwith industry professionals like yourself, so and

(20:47):
other Oh you tobe theatric for me, they were able to perform and from
and give them good feedback. Soabout it's about teaching. Someone gave me
an opportunity, so we know,do we do the vocal stuff, We
also teach about the business. Sowhat I do is we actually and Reggie's
here with me, we just providethose type of platforms to make sure.

(21:10):
And then it allowed me to getinto other areas of the industry. And
so I love God, He's numberone in my life. Got some reasons
we all be, but I lovemusic period. So it allowed me to
be able to work with different genresof music. And as you said,
we're so happy to be the tourmanager now for the for McDonalds celebration Gospel.
So it just put me in thosetype of areas to be able to

(21:32):
just expand myself because I do believethat you should be able to have learn
every aspect of the industry and beknowledge about that and so because then that
way you'll be able to be soughtout to do more than just one thing.
Yes, right fast. So wehave a new single, call for
the Rest of my Life. It'son my pastor and Bishop new labor Has

(21:52):
House and Entertainment, Bishop hes Kawaka, thank you. But again the brand
new single for the rest of myLife. Please everybody go out download it.
P us nice. Yeah you getready? Yeah, yeah, yes,
yes again. You have to comeup with the times pointed at the
camera so that I stay you getready, y'all listen, listen, always

(22:14):
be ready, So you have toget ready. Huh. That's nice to
now always be ready and you ain'tgot to get ready, come ready,
come ready? Yeah me, congratulations, Mark you have you have evolved and
you are. I think that oneof the words that we use when we
do our Brother's Breakfast is reinventing.That's what I was trying to say,

(22:36):
reinvented it. Yeah, you alwaysreinvented my and I like it because you're
not just in the church. Youhave kind of moved on out and did
some other things and that helps ustoo. That's spread my light wherever I
go. So I think the churchhas to come up within the four walls.
Everybody still know that I'm still ChumeMaster, and I love God and

(22:59):
I love music. So coming outthe four Walls and able to go into
those different aspects of still be ableto represent who I am, represent God,
and then be able to fit init as well. In the choir
rooms. In the choir room,thank you,