07/10/2024
Join me for a special edition of Zoomer Crooners & Songbirds this Sunday at 6PM honouring the life and achievements of the late great award winning manager, catalyst, A&R rep MARY MARTIN. (And my second cousin)
While Martin's importance to American music history cannot be overstated, it is her unique personality and unrestrained manner that have made her such a beloved behind-the-scenes legend in music industry circles from coast to coast.
From Toronto, she moved to NYC with $60 in her pocket and crashed with a friend.
She worked from 1962-2002 in NYC with Albert Grossman and then running her own management company. Then she moved to work as A&R at Warner LA, and after to Nashville in management and as VP of A&R at Mercury.
MARY MARTIN is responsible for managing and or breaking Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Vince Gill, Bonnie Raitt and many more. She fought hard for her artists as if they were her children.
"My life would look very different without Mary Martin." -Emmylou Harris
Elizabeth Ashley, an actress and longtime friend of Mary's, described her. "Mary was like a commander; she was eccentric and beautiful and funny and smart and generous and take-no-prisoners and difficult and complicated.”
Summing up her career, Mary said, “just being a catalyst, there's a real important role there. And I'm good at that…I'm Fate's right-hand gal."
Mary was my second cousin, she was an untouchable legend in our family.
I went to Nashville in 2015 and had lunch with her and hung at her home.
She lived alone with her cat, ate butter like cheese (like my mom), chain smoked, shamelessly dropped F bombs and is a survivor of a break and enter, robbery and sexual assault of a stranger.
She co-founded YOU HAVE THE POWER the nonprofit organization that empowers victims of crime through information, advocacy, understanding and resources.
"In the case of r**e, your spirit is murdered, and it's important to learn that if you don't talk about it, you don't heal." - Mary Martin. Donations here: https://donorbox.org/support-yhtp
Join me Sunday at 6pm for music and discussion with musicologist Mike Daley to hear about her life and contribution to the great music we all love.
May this be inspiration to Canadians and women to trust your gut, keep the faith and to fight for what you believe in.
Mary was fierce. A badass. A legend.
🙏🏻
