Mary Black

[Baz]

Has Mary Black been discussed much on the message board?..........I came across her thru the days of file-file mp3 sharing (Janis has said there were great benefits for artists, yes?...and I would think especially for those not well known), and I've now purchased about 10 of her albums..........her voice is angelic, her repertoire very eclectic, from the Irish song Mo Ghilde Mear I'm listening to now, to traditional and modern American folk...........

Her itinerary is 95% European..........I haven't caught her website, www.mary-black.net when it included US/East Coast dates.

If you care to get a 'dose', start with a song "Once In A Very Blue Moon" written by Alger and Levine, done by some other talented american folk singers.

and a sampler of her music is on her site, http://www.mary-black.net/music.htm

Enjoy.......and if anyone has seen her live, I'd love to hear about it.

B.

[hoops]

baz, thank you for the post , sounds like someone to look into further
peace
hoops

[DaveM]

Didn't Mary Black sing with Clannad on some of their albums or am I thinking of someone else?

[Mimi]

As far as I remember Mary Black was a member of the wonderful Irish band De Dannan till she started her solo career in 1986.

Mimi

[angelgirl]

Joan Baez and Mary Black sing a beautiful duet called "Ring them bells".

Angelgirl

[dutchcloggie]

Janis & Mary have toured together in Holland (don't know if elsewhere) and that show was the highlight of my life, I thought I was going to faint with excitement, two of my all time favourite artists on the same stage! They played 'A Woman's Heart' together and I was close to tears.

Janis wrote Mary's Eyes for/about Mary.

[angelgirl]

Janis & Mary have toured together in Holland (don't know if elsewhere) and that show was the highlight of my life, I thought I was going to faint with excitement, two of my all time favourite artists on the same stage! They played 'A Woman's Heart' together and I was close to tears.

Janis wrote Mary's Eyes for/about Mary.

Wow:cool: :cool: :cool: That must have been fantastic. Hav'nt heard of "Mary's Eyes". What album is it on?

angelgirl

[david uk]

Mary's Eyes is from Janis's 2004 album Billie's Bones.

[angelgirl]

Thanks David - you're a star:)

angelgirl

[Baz]

it's wonderful to be on the bulletin boards and find out certain things are right in front of your eyes/ears..........I have Billie's Bones, but did not know it was written for Mary........and my initial question about Mary was rendered because in my circle of life, a lot of people don't know her........and I didn't have the time to do a search of all the threads to see if Mary was discussed; voila, she has performed WITH Janis.........and Janis wrote a song about/for her. Wonderful stuff.

Barry

[Mimi]

I was looking for a "Mary's Eyes" video and found something else: Mary Black singing "The Thorn Upon The Rose".

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=B_M1MHXbfqA

This song was written and later on recorded by Julie Matthews but it became famous through Mary Black's rendition. I like Julie's recording much better, too much sugar in Mary's performance - just my humble opinion.


MIMI

[David from London]

Mary Black was the host for the BBC programme celebrating Janis' 50th birthday. Janis also talks a little about her on the Living Room Concert CD 'Unplugged at the Campbells'.

[Anna from Dublin]

Yes, it was De Dannan Mary B. lead, not Clannad. Clannad was lead by Maire (prounounced Moya) Brennan, with whom I spent a wonderful evening many years ago when she was dating the brother of a friend of mine. She taught me and my friend to play a card game called Crazy 8s; we were still in high school if I recall correctly (my friend and I; not Maire) ; we had a lot of fun that evening ........... but I digress....

Mary B. has a great repetoire and wonderful albums; I did see her recently on TV in Ireland and I have to say she was quite disappointing. The voice really seemed to have deteriorated but maybe she was just having a bad day. A friend of mine is going to see her live in a week or 2. It will be interesting to see what the show is like.

[Baz]

love that video, what a gorgeous face to go with the voice....

This is an older performance, and it's the song I highlight when explaining how compelling she can be....again, this song is done well by many female singers (haven't heard men sing it, oddly)......but put down your lights, and enjoy this

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=qmVvsr62PWo
Once in a very blue moon

[dutchcloggie]

Oooo.....you have just re-ingnited my love for Mary Black and I have spent the past day looking at videos on YouTube.

[Baz]

yes, youtube must have 20 songs performed LIVE....I don't usually watch the audio only, with pictures, type of videos, but the live performances appeal to me; and Mary has quite a few stellar ones on youtube or dailymotion.com

B

[Eva]

Long time no see Dutchcloggie. Good to see you posting again :cool:

Eva

[DaveM]

Yep--I was confusing vocalists....as you noted, Maire Brennan (Enya's sister, conversely) was the lead singer for Clannad for some time. One of their recordings was made while she was pregnant and supposedly, as she got closer to term, they rushed to get everything onto tape, not only because she would soon have a new baby to care for but because the pregnancy allowed her to "reach" a couple of notes higher than she'd ever been able to before.

[Baz]

A friend of mine, who lives most of the time in Ireland, but has a 2nd home in the Princeton area, told me that Mary's fans, not unanimously, but in large part, were disappointed in her later works as she became more pop, moving away from Irish, and even from American folk.......
so I sent her videos of Mary performing live, and she said THAT was the great Mary Black...........and yes, her later albums in my collection are not as precious as the earlier to mid.....

Barry

[vontanner]

'Mary's Eyes' won Janis one of many Just Plain Folks awards...Celtic Song
Winner Mary's Eyes Janis Ian. Just fattening up the Mary & Janis pot-of-not-so-well-known facts.
love you guys,
chris