Mark Lowry doesn’t see himself as a comedian.

“People have to label you as something, I guess, but I never owned it really,” he admits. “I see myself as Mark Lowry. I sing and happen to talk in between songs; I’m a storyteller, maybe.”

Lowry said a good storyteller takes the audience on the journey with them, “and yet you never leave your seat.”

The multi-award winning entertainer, perhaps best known for penning the lyric to the Christmas classic “Mary Did You Know?” and singing baritone for the Gaither Vocal Band, said the comedic aspect of his career came about by accident.

“I had to do something because the man changing the soundtrack in the back needed more time so I just started talking,” he said. “One thing led to another and I noticed people were laughing. I thought I better dance with who ‘brang’ me.”

For 13 years, Lowry served as the comedic sidekick for Bill Gaither through live concert tours and the best-selling Gaither Homecoming video series and television shows.

“I was the baritone and the funny guy, always making fun of Bill’s hair,” he said. “It was a wonderful time.”

He said he credits his attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder diagnosis for his sense of humor.

“But when I turned 50 I dropped the ‘hyperactivity’ part because I’m tired,” he said with a laugh.

Lowry will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14, at Trinity Baptist Church, 1800 Country Club Road.

“I think the audience can expect the unexpected,” he said. “I don’t even know what’s going to happen until I get there and meet the audience. Whatever pops in my head, that’s what happens. It used to be scary, but I’ve learned to trust it now.”

During the show, he’ll be serving up laughs from his “Dogs Go To Heaven” DVD as well as performing such hits as “Mary Did You Know.”

“I wrote the lyric in 1984 and Buddy Greene put music to it in 1991,” he said. “It’s been a great thing and I’m very thankful for it. If I could pick one song that I could have written, I couldn’t have picked one I love more. I do love it, and that’s a good thing because I have to sing it every night.”

The song has been recorded more than 400 times by artists from every genre including, Reba McEntire, Cee Lo Green, Clay Aiken, Donny Osmond, Natalie Cole, Michael English, Kenny Rogers, Wynonna Judd and a long list of others.

“I’m amazed by how many people have recorded it,” he said. “It just skyrocketed since the day it was born, practically. Michael English recorded it first and from there it just went on and on.”

Lowry said his favorite song right now is “What’s Not to Love?,” the title of his latest album.

“I wrote it with Reba and Dony McGuire and I just love it,” he said. “It says, basically, what’s not to love about Jesus. It goes over everything he’s given us and asks the question what’s not to love.”

Lowry said he was raised in a Christian home in Houston, Texas, and came to know the Lord at a church camp when he was 14.

“That was just the beginning; it’s been a great journey,” he said. “I really feel he’s saved me every day since then, too.”

Tickets for Lowry’s Lake Charles show range from $20-30 with VIP tickets for $45. The VIP ticket includes a meet and greet at 5:15 p.m. For more, call 480-1555. Tickets are available online at www.itickets.com or by phone at 800-965-9324.