Mary's first self-produced album includes new songs, her unique arrangements of classic covers, country melodies and a traditional folk tale

12 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Traditional Folk, COUNTRY: Country Folk



Details:
MARY McCASLIN

Mary McCaslin represents an unbroken link between traditional folksingers and todayâs ânew folkâ singer-songwriters. Her music ranges from ballads of the old west to her own songs of the new west and modern times. Regarded as a pioneer of open guitar tunings, and known for her distinctive vocal style, Maryâs influences can be heard in many younger folk performers.
She is also known for her haunting renditions of pop standards and rock classics, such as âGhost Riders In The Skyâ, âThe Wayward Windâ, the Beatlesâ âThings We Said Todayâ, and the Supremesâ âMy World Is Emptyâ. Her versions of the Beatlesâ âBlackbirdâ and the Whoâs âPinball Wizardâ are made more unique by her âclawhammerâ banjo accompaniment.
Maryâs musical influences are as varied as her repertoire: The western ballads of Marty Robbins, the guitar playing of Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell, the singing and banjo playing of Hedy West, and the vocal inflections of the Beatles and the BeeGees.
Her songs have been recorded by Tom Russell (âPrairie In The Skyâ), Bill Staines (âPrairie In The Skyâ), Chris Williamson (âCircle Of Friendsâ), David Bromberg (âYoung Westleyâ), Kate Wolf (âThe Ballad Of Weavervilleâ), Stan Rogers (âDown The Roadâ) and others. The Grand Canyon Railroad has used her song âLast Cannonballâ for its promotional television ad.


BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

Acres of Houses was inspired by a visit to the âruralâ area outside of Burlington,
Vermont a few years ago. In the 1970s and early 1980s I recorded at the Philo
Records Barn in North Ferrisburg, which is south of Burlington. Back then it was
almost all farmland and houses were few and far between. During this visit my friend,
singer and musician Rik Palieri, took me for a drive to show me how things had
changed. Like everywhere else, houses are sprouting up where fields used to be. â¢
The Lights of Spartanburg was written after the death of singer-songwriter
Walter Hyatt, who was killed in the Value Jet crash in 1996. Singers Robin and Linda
Williams were old friends with Walter. Returning home from a show the night of the
crash, they happened to be driving past his hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina
when they heard the news on the radio that Walter was among the dead.They could
see the lights of Spartanburg in the distance. ⢠Unchained Melody is a song I've
always loved. Most people associate it with the Righteous Brothers, but it has actually
been around since the 1950s. ⢠One of my great inspirations as a singer and banjo
player is the late Hedy West.This arrangement of Bei Mir Bist Du Schön is a sort
of âHedy West Meets the Andrews Sisters.â ⢠Mike Beck is a working cowboy who is
also a marvelous singer-songwriter. He caught the real feeling of the Bakersfield
Sound in Oildale. ⢠Jim Ringer wrote Sabres and Guns and performed it on stage,
but never got to record it.This is one of my favorite of his songs. A few years after
his death I found a copy of the lyrics and started singing it. Soon it became obvious to
me that it needed more of an ending, so I added the last verse. ⢠Standing in the
Doorway was inspired somewhat by Bob Simpsonâs song âCornerstone Cowboy,â
which is on the Prairie in the Sky album. Steve Netsky put the melody to my lyrics. â¢
The arrangement of Losing End heard here is based on how I remember it being
played by Robb Strandlund and Larry Blom.This is one of my favorite Neil Young
songs. ⢠It is a heartbreaking fact that children disappear every year and are never
seen alive again. Often, after a search that takes months or years, sometimes reaching
an international level, the remains of the child are found within less than a couple of
miles of home.The idea for Missing came to me after one of these tragedies. â¢
Youâve Forgotten is a very early Jackson Browne song. Itâs among a number of
great songs that he wrote in the beginning of his career and never got around to
recording. ⢠This is my third recording of the late Hoyt Axtonâs great anti-war song
To Some Cool Blue Iced Shore. Somehow it never appeared on any of his
recordings.The guitar part here is the closest I've come to Hoytâs playing on the
âdemoâ of this song I was given back in the 1960s. ⢠Jim Ringer learned California
Joe from his cousin and grandmother and he recorded it in 1972 on his Folk Legacy
album,Waitinâ for the Hard Times to Go. His family had a wealth of old songs that
were handed down through the generations. California Joe was originally a poem
written by Captain Jack Crawford and published in his 1886 book,The Poet Scout.
The melody Jim uses is particularly beautiful.This song is for the Ringer and Tinkler
families, for Debbie Shockley, who presented me with a copy of the Poet Scout and
for my husband, Greg, who encouraged me to record it.

â Mary McCaslin ⢠October, 2006



GEORGE WINSTON
âA great composer and interpreter.â

TOM RUSSELL
"Mary McCaslin is an inspiration"

DIRTY LINEN MAGAZINE
â- a sage writer, warmly expressive singer and exquisite player.â

SING OUT! MAGAZINE
â- a songwriterâs songwriter."

NEW ENGLAND FOLK ALMANAC
"McCaslin's real-life western songs and earthy romanticism were profoundly influential among songwriters in the '70s. Too often overlooked is the great impact her guitar playing also had on the acoustic scene.â

L. A. TIMES (feature on mystery writer Walter Mosley)
âMosley is a conundrum who pulls from Louis Armstrong and folk singer Mary
McCaslin with equal fervor and fascination."

Larry Kelp â KPFA, Berkeley.
"She sounds as if she had risen out of the Western soil and became its voice."


SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

MARY McCASLIN MUSIC -

"Better Late Than Never" - Mary McCaslin Music MMM001

PHILO/ROUNDER -

"A Life And Time" - Flying Fish FLY203
( CD re-issue)
âThings We Said Today, The Best Ofâ - Philo 1149
(compilation of early Philo recordings)
âBroken Promisesâ - Philo 1160
(1994 release of new material)
âWay Out Westâ - Philo 1011
(CD re-issue)
âPrairie In The Sky - Philo 1024
(CD re-issue)
âOld Friendsâ - Philo 1046
(CD re-issue)
âThe Bramble & The Roseâ - Philo 1055
(CD re-issue of duet recording with Jim Ringer)

BEAR FAMILY -

âRain - The Lost Albumâ - BCD 16232AH
(1967-8 Capitol unreleased recordings)

SWEET BRIAR RECORDS -

âGirls from Santa Cruzâ - DVD and CD of concert with Lacy J. Dalton and Ginny Mitchell - Mitchell/Collins Productions

LPs (currently unavailable)

âSunny Californiaâ - Philo 1099
(re-issue of 1979 Mercury LP)
âGoodnight Everybodyâ - Barnaby 212 35002