Description

This month we are going to hold our membership breakfast at beautiful WHITE LAKE @Ski Burger. Ski Burger has a great breakfast to offer our members too! Please join us and our Speaker for April, the new Editor of the Bladen Journal Mr Mark DeLap! Mark is very excited to speak and let members know how advertising can help and grow businesses.

Marks Bio

Biography

Mark DeLap is a published author, an award-winning journalist and photographer, an inspirational basketball coach, a singer/songwriter/musician and a trusted educator. For the past 30 years, he has been the president and CEO of the Streetfire Corporation.

Mark was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and his childhood memories of music ranged from listening to classical music, Croation folk music, polka music, country music, light pop, gospel, oldies… etc. “It seemed like everyone in my family liked a different style – and I adapted to each one,” he said. “My dad used to come in and sing with us each night just before we fell asleep. He had quite a selection of songs from ‘Springtime in the Rockies’ to ‘Swingin’ on a Star’ to ‘In the Garden’ to silly made-up songs for each of us kids.

“Mom was a professional model and full-time homemaker, and used to love the classic love songs of the time and we can remember her recording songs like, ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’, on reel to reel tape for dad to listen to when he got home from work. She also used to pull out her accordion and played songs for us… everything from ‘Alley Cat’ to ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’.

“As a family, she would pack us up and gather the autoharps as we would head to nursing homes to sing for the grandmas and grandpas. My early childhood hero was my cousin, (1992 Grammy Winner) Peter Stampfel who had an early beatnik/country/folk group called “The Holy Modal Rounders”.

I can remember Peter and Steve (Weber) coming to Menomonee Falls with their guitars and playing mini-concerts in our house. I was mesmerized. He has been a musical inspiration ever since.

“When we weren’t singing – mom had us watching old black and white movies and musicals!”

Along with his brother, Todd, they were usually the family entertainment at gatherings – from puppet shows to musical recitals. Todd ended up going to Broadway and was very popular with his friends and fans until his death in 1989.

Mark started a two-man band with John Reiter (and later at the University of Wisconsin with Paul Lenz) in high school and under the name of “Rainbow Crest” – He also kept with the varied styles, taking firsts in state competitions through high school with (of all things…) his tuba and also being selected into the Milwaukee Youth Symphony.

He earned a music scholarship to the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire and was in concert band and in the University Jazz band. Freshman year, Buddy Brisbois came to the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire to judge the jazz festival. Mark transposed a Duke Ellington bass trombone solo for his double B-flat tuba and as he stood up to “squeal the solo” on his tuba – the crowd erupted in a thundering applause. Brisbois stood up and as he addressed Keezer’s Jazz band, he pointed his finger directly at Mark and proclaimed… “TUBA!!! I have never heard anything like that before!!!” and promptly awarded Mark the Outstanding Jazz Soloist Award… the first one ever given to a tuba player in the history of the competition.

Upon graduation from the University, the group “Rainbow Crest” broke up and after a semester of teaching at a high school in Minneapolis. While in the early 80’s Mark picked up the piano on his own – and still plays today strictly by ear. His life until this point was singing other people’s songs – but at age 25 he wrote his first song – a tune called “When You See.”

Mark went solo from 1998 until 2006 where many studio projects were completed and 10 CDs were released in that period. From his first CD he won “The Trailblazer Award” in Nashville for two of his songs, “You’re Gone,” and “Daddy’s Songs.”

Today he performs everything from songs like “Do You Believe in Magic” to “Sunshine On My Shoulders” to “Just The Way You Look Tonight” to John Legend’s “All of Me.” In addition, he performs countless originals – both secular and gospel. In addition to music, Mark is a talented writer who has one novel to his credit “In The Always” – PublishAmerica 2003, a children’s story, “The Little Acorn” – PublishAmerica 2010, a book of prose for his athletes, “A Warrior’s Heart” StarAmerica 2011 and an exhaustive daily devotional, “Rereward” 2013.

2020 Updated band information: The “D-Street” playing out of Wyoming consists of Danny Robinett, Grady Winders, Mark DeLap. Graduated from the University of Wisconin – Eau Claire in 2001 with a BA in journalism education and a minor in coaching. 2004 – MBA – Trinity College.

Mark married Thecia Maurone-Toth on December 21, 2003 where she is the branch manager for a successful mortgage lender and he stays busy with his photography and music.

In 2024 Mark came out of retirement from the Newspaper business and put his editor’s hat on once again – this time in North Carolina as he is the editor and general manager for Champion Media.

He has the chance to write stories, editorials, columns, general news and feature and of course… take lots of pictures. Being a culinary genius, his wife, Thecia, writes a weekly food blog in one of the papers for Champion Media.