AboutMary Mc Laughlin records, performs, composes, teaches singing skills, performance technique and Gaelic singing. She is the founder of the Cór Ainglí Gaelic Choir in Santa Cruz, California, has published two songbooks, four solo albums, and is featured on many compilation albums on BMG and EMI including Celtic Voices, Celtic Circles and Conversations With God 2.
Born and raised in Omagh, Northern Ireland Mary began to learn Gaelic at the age of eleven and was influenced by ‘sean nós' (old style) singing which she heard in the Donegal Gaeltacht (Irish speaking area). She was also heavily influenced by Latin Church music in her early years. During her adolescence she began to listen to contemporary singer songwriters from the USA, in particular Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon. These artists not only provided her first models for song writing but also inspired her to develop her vocal harmony skills.
Omagh Town
(photo postcard: Tom Mc Laughlin)
During the Eighties she became involved in the English Folk Scene, singing and playing guitar and keyboards with various groups including the Folk Rock group Traitor’s Gait, Anonyma (a duo with singer-songwriter Anne Lister), multi-instrumentalist Steafán Hannigan and the band Flash Company which included Martin Simpson and the late, great John Spencer.
In the mid nineties she added a Certificate of Music Education to her existing teaching credentials. The nineties also saw her embarking on her first solo album The Daughter of Lir which she released on her own label Rowan Records. Produced by internationally acclaimed producer Jon Jacobs, the album showcased Mary's writing as well as her vocal abilities. Although the album, as a completed project, was not finally released until 1999, it led to her work being heard by the American record company Narada. Narada chose three of Mary's songs to head off the 1995 release Celtic Voices which charted at #3 on the Billboard World Music Charts. Celtic Voices is currently on the EMI record label.
1997 saw Mary moving to California to join Martin Simpson's Band of Angels with whom she toured throughout the USA until 1998.
At this time she also began to work with guitarist William Coulter. Together they recorded Celtic Requiem for Windham Hill (subsequently BMG), which was released in 1998. This was followed by the USA release of Daughter of Lir in 1999 licensed by the Gourd Music label and the formation of the Mary Mc Laughlin Band in 2000.
Mary Mc Laughlin Band: from l. to r. Lisa Ekstrom, Rick walker, Neal Hellman, Mary Mc Laughlin, Shiloh Hellman (circa 2000)
Over the next several years Mary toured extensively through the USA performing solo and in various ensembles and bands. Among others she played with such established artists as Robin Bullock, Neal Hellman, Steve Coulter and “Camogie,” a Celtic Americana band comprised of Mary, Libby Mc Laren, Robin Flower and Danny Carnahan.
In the summer of 2004 Mary completed her third solo album, Crystal Shoe, a collection of mostly original songs which not only showcased her writing but was also her most lavish production to date. Her rich layers of interweaving vocals and intricate arrangements were well supported by a rich array of guest musicians including Robin Bullock, Barry Phillips and Radim Zenkl. Crystal Shoe was voted one of Brad Kava's top ten albums of the year in the San jose Mercury News.
2006 saw the formation of the Cór Ainglí, a Community Choir in Santa Cruz California. Mary formed this choir to perform Gaelic Christmas songs which she taught using her phonetic approach.
The project was such a resounding success that in 2009 the choir entered it’s fourth year. 2008 saw the release of an album and songbook based on the material used in the Choir. A Gaelic Christmas once again showcased Mary’s abilities in the recording studio. Working with Steve Coulter (harper and engineer), this selection of Christmas carols, old and not so old, are all in Gaelic and all arranged in four part vocal harmony with sterling musicians on percussion, strings and wind instruments.
The Santa Cruz Cór Ainglí Gaelic Choir 2008
Mary is currently planning a reunion tour with Anne Lister in August 2009 where they will tour in England and Wales, her first time to perform in the UK for fifteen years. Other plans include a long sojourn studying medieval chant in Ireland and the hope of many more musical adventures and connections in the coming year!