Mark "The Loveman" Pender (born August 21, 1957 in

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more th ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

) is a

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

player and vocalist who has played with

Southside Johnny John Lyon (born December 4, 1948), better known by his stage name Southside Johnny, is an American singer-songwriter who usually fronts his band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. Southside Johnny has long been considered the Grandfather of ...

Little Steven Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandoli ...

and

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...

. Since 1993 he has performed on ''

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...

'' and ''

The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien ''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show that featured Conan O'Brien as host from June 1, 2009, to January 22, 2010, as part of NBC's ''Tonight Show'' franchise. O'Brien had previously hosted NBC's ''Late Ni ...

'' as a member of

The Max Weinberg 7 Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band was the house band for Conan O'Brien's late-night talk show '' Conan'' from its debut on November 8, 2010 to the final episode of its 60-minute format October 4, 2018. Guitarist and arranger Jimmy Vivino is t ...

and The Tonight Show Band. He formerly performed on '' Conan'' as a member of the

Basic Cable Band Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band was the house band for Conan O'Brien's late-night talk show ''Conan (talk show), Conan'' from its debut on November 8, 2010 to the final episode of its 60-minute format October 4, 2018. Guitarist and arranger ...

from 2010-2018. He is a member of

The Miami Horns The Miami Horns are an American horn section best known for touring and recording with Southside Johnny, Bruce Springsteen, Little Steven and The Max Weinberg 7. They have also toured, performed or recorded with, among others, Diana Ross, Gary U ...

, leads his own band, The Mark Pender Band, and plays regularly with La Bamba & The Hubcaps. As a member of

he has toured and/or recorded with, among others

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups ...

, Gary U.S. Bonds,

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of son ...

Darlene Love Darlene Wright (born July 26, 1941), known professionally as Darlene Love, is an American singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the girl group the Blossoms and she also recorded as a solo artist. She began singing as a child with her ...

Robert Cray Robert William Cray (born August 1, 1953) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards. Early life Robert Cray was born on August 1, 1953, in Columbus, Georgia, while his father was statione ...

and

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald. Original bassist Alec John such qu ...

. As an individual he has sessioned with

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a dr ...

Buster Poindexter David Roger Johansen (sometimes spelled ''David Jo Hansen''; born January 9, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls. He is also known for his work under ...

and

Blackmore's Night Blackmore's Night is a British-American neo-medieval folk rock band formed in 1997, consisting mainly of Ritchie Blackmore (acoustic guitar, hurdy gurdy, mandola, mandolin, nyckelharpe, and electric guitar) and Candice Night (lead vocals, lyri ...

History

Mark Pender graduated in 1975 from Grandview Senior High School in

Grandview, Missouri Grandview is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 24,475 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. History A post office called Grandview has been in operation since 1889. The city wa ...

. In the mid 1970s, while still in

, Pender played with Mass Transit and saxophonist Stephen Harvey. This band played a fusion of R&B,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

and

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...

. He also played with the Inner City Orchestra from 1977 until 1979. This gave him the opportunity to play with the likes of

Jay McShann James Columbus "Jay" McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006) was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader. He led bands in Kansas City, Missouri, that included Charlie Parker, Bernard Anderson, Walter Brown, and B ...

, Joe Turner,

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

and

Gladys Knight & the Pips Gladys Knight & the Pips were an American R&B, soul and funk family music group from Atlanta, Georgia, that remained active on the music charts and performing circuit for over three decades starting from the early 1950s. Starting out as simply ...

. He would also occasionally front the band on trumpet and vocals. Pender and Harvey also played regularly at the

Mutual Musicians Foundation Mutual Musicians Foundation is a National Historic Landmark in Kansas City, Missouri. History The building at 1823 Highland Avenue is the former home of the Colored Musicians Local 627. The Mutual Musicians Foundation was incorporated to manage ...

. It was there they first met the jazz organist

Charles Earland Charles Earland (May 24, 1941 – December 11, 1999) was an American jazz organist. Biography Earland was born in Philadelphia and learned to play the saxophone in high school. He played tenor with Jimmy McGriff at the age of 17 and in 1960 fo ...

. In 1979, Pender and Harvey accepted Earlands offer to join his touring band. The tour finished in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

. 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 with

and toured with

between 1980 and 1981. He was invited to join Little Steven & The Disciples Of Soul and 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 him ''The Love Man''. He subsequently became a member of Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes and led The Jukes' Horns on the albums ''Trash It Up'', ''In The Heat'' and ''At Least We Got Shoes''. In 1988, as part of the group The Tunnel Of Love Horns, he went on tour with

. Pender continues to record with both

and Springsteen and featured on the latter's 2005 album ''

Devils & Dust ''Devils & Dust'' is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Bruce Springsteen, and his third acoustic album (after ''Nebraska'' and ''The Ghost of Tom Joad''). It was released on April 25, 2005, in Europe and the following day in ...

''. He also played in the halftime show for NFL's

Super Bowl XLIII Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...

. Pender also continues to play regularly with La Bamba & The Hubcaps, led by friend

Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg Richie "LaBamba" Rosenberg is an American trombonist originating from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a former member of the house band on Conan O'Brien's late-night talk shows. Early life Rosenberg became a trombonist when his junior high ins ...

. This band recorded an eponymous album in 1991 which gave Pender the chance to showcase his skills as a lead vocalist. He also linked up

Max Weinberg Max Weinberg (born April 13, 1951) is an American drummer and television personality, most widely known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and as the bandleader for Conan O'Brien on '' Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' ...

in 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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pender, Mark 1957 births Living people The Max Weinberg 7 members American trumpeters American male trumpeters American male singers Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes members Jersey Shore musicians Singers from New Jersey Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band members The Tonight Show Band members The Miami Horns members The Sessions Band members