Miracle of The Music Man

Mark Cabaniss brings to life the rocky origins of this timeless show, the music behind it, and the against-all-odds success story of its creator. Interweaving behind-the-scenes perspectives, this book looks at Meredith Willson’s unusual career as a composer, conductor, radio personality, and flutist, which reached its pinnacle in The Music Man.

Mark Cabaniss is a music publisher, writer/producer, broadcaster, and speaker. He is president and CEO of Jubilate Music Group, creating printed and digital music, recordings, and videos. As an ASCAP composer and arranger, Cabaniss's published compositions have been performed nationally, abroad and on the stage of Carnegie Hall, and include musicals, cantatas, and instrumental works. He is a multiple recipient of ASCAP's Popular Music Award and is a Dove Award and Angel Award-winning producer. For his contributions to the music products industry, NAMM awarded him the Believe in Music Award. He is a member of The Recording Academy (Grammy), The Dramatists Guild, and serves on the board of advisors for "The Music Man Square," a museum and foundation in Mason City, Iowa, dedicated to furthering music education and honoring the legacy of Meredith Willson. Cabaniss was named Outstanding Alumnus of the Year by Mars Hill University and serves on the University's Board of Trustees. He is also the founder and donor of The Helen Cole Krause Music Scholarship and The William D. Thomas, Jr. Music Scholarship, each awarded annually to qualifying students who choose music as a college major. He also serves as a correspondent for Hollywood 360, a weekly nationally syndicated entertainment radio show based in Chicago. His more-than-thirty-year career in music business and broadcasting has led to collaborations with television icons Bob Barker, Kathie Lee Gifford, and Andy Griffith; Academy Award-winner Shirley Jones; legendary entertainer Steve Allen; Broadway/pop songwriters Rupert Holmes and David Pomeranz; jazz pianist/composer Loonis McGlohon; composer Charles Strouse; and others. He is the author of Miracle of The Music Man: The Classic American Story of Meredith Willson; Music Business Essentials; Confessions of a Shameless Name-Dropper; and 88 Keys to Music Business Success. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in Music Education and Communications from Mars Hill University and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He resides in Nashville. www.markcabaniss.com

Acknowledgments Foreword by Rupert Holmes Prologue: Against All Odds 1. Good Morning, River City 2. All in the Family 3. Manhattan Man 4. Forward, March! 5. On the Air 6. The Fabulous Forties 7. "Turn It into a Show, Mere!" 8. Fate and Feuer and Martin 9. The Best and Worst of Times 10. The Garden Blooms with Bloomgarden 11. Homegrown Magic 12. The Plot-and Characters-Thicken 13. Cash and Cast 14. The Final March to Broadway 15. The Band Heard 'Round the World 16. Lights, Camera, Hollywood! 17. Molly Brown Ain't Down Yet 18. From Claus to Columbus 19. Still Marching Forward Epilogue: The Miracle Marches On Notes Index About the Author