Mark Pender

Mark Pender
Mark Pender at the 2006Pleasant Hill Jazz FestivalatPleasant Hill High SchoolinPleasant Hill, Oregon.
Background information
Birth name	Mark Pender
Also known as	The Loveman
Born	(1957-08-21)August 21, 1957
Origin	Kansas City,Missouri
Genres	Jazz,rock,soul
Occupation(s)	Trumpeter,singer,songwriter
Instrument(s)	Trumpet,vocals,guitar

Mark "The Loveman" Pender(born August 21, 1957, inKansas City,Missouri) is atrumpetplayer and vocalist who has played withSouthside Johnny,Little StevenandBruce Springsteen.Since 1993 he has performed onLate Night with Conan O'BrienandThe Tonight Show with Conan O'Brienas a member ofThe Max Weinberg 7and The Tonight Show Band.He formerly performed onConanas a member of theBasic Cable Bandfrom 2010 to 2018. He is a member ofThe Miami Horns,leads his own band, The Mark Pender Band, and plays regularly withLa Bamba& The Hubcaps.

As a member ofThe Miami Hornshe has toured and/or recorded with, among othersDiana Ross,Gary U.S. Bonds,Joe Cocker,Darlene Love,Robert CrayandBon Jovi.As an individual he has sessioned withDavid Bowie,They Might Be Giants,Buster PoindexterandBlackmore's Night.

History

Mark Pender graduated in 1975 from Grandview Senior High School inGrandview, Missouri.In the mid-1970s, while still inKansas City,Pender played with Mass Transit and saxophonist Stephen Harvey. This band played a fusion ofR&B,jazzanddisco.He also played with the Inner City Orchestra from 1977 until 1979. This gave him the opportunity to play with the likes ofJay McShann,Joe Turner,Ella FitzgeraldandGladys Knight & the Pips.He would also occasionally front the band on trumpet and vocals. Pender and Harvey also played regularly at theMutual Musicians Foundation.It was there they first met the jazz organistCharles Earland.In 1979, Pender and Harvey accepted Earlands offer to join his touring band. The tour finished inNewark, New Jersey.Pender opted to stay while Harvey returned to Kansas City where he was murdered on November 5, 1980.

Once in New Jersey, Pender linked up withThe Miami Hornsand toured withDiana Rossbetween 1980 and 1981. He was invited to joinLittle Steven & The Disciples Of Souland while on tour with them in Paris, he met his current wife Francoise while still married to Connie his first wife whom he married in Ft. Lee, NJ. Connie and Mark were married from 1982 - 1992. It was Little Steven who nicknamed himThe Love Man.He subsequently became a member ofSouthside Johnny & The Asbury Jukesand led The Jukes' Horns on the albumsTrash It Up,In The HeatandAt Least We Got Shoes.In 1988, as part of the group The Tunnel Of Love Horns, he went on tour withBruce Springsteen.Pender continues to record with bothSouthside Johnnyand Springsteen and featured on the latter's 2005 albumDevils & Dust.He also played in the halftime show for NFL'sSuper Bowl XLIII.

Pender also continues to play regularly with La Bamba & The Hubcaps, led by friendRichie "La Bamba" Rosenberg.This band recorded an eponymous album in 1991 which gave Pender the chance to showcase his skills as a lead vocalist. He also linked upMax Weinbergin the band Killer Joe. This band recorded one album,Scene Of The Crime,which featured Pender playing trumpet and singing lead vocal on a rousing rendition of "Chicken Shack Boogie." He also fronts The Mark Pender Band, playing a blend of R&B, jazz and funk, a reflection of his Kansas City roots. This band has featured both Rosenberg and Harrison in its line-up. In 2003, Pender independently released an eponymous CD/DVD package featuring live and studio recordings. Pender currently tours with They Might Be Giants.