Mary Margaret O'Hara

Last updated
Mary Margaret O'Hara
Bornlate 1950s
Origin Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupations
Instrument Vocals
Years active1984–present
Labels Virgin

Mary Margaret O'Hara is a Canadian singer-songwriter, actress and composer. She is best known for the album Miss America , released in 1988. She released two albums and an EP under her own name, and remains active as a live performer, as a contributor to compilation albums and as a guest collaborator on other artists' albums.

Contents

Music career

Early stages

O'Hara was born in the late 1950s in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to a family of Irish Catholic descent. She is the sister of comedic actress Catherine O'Hara. [1] Her early musical tastes included Van Morrison, Dinah Washington, and her father's jazz records. [2] She was a student at the Ontario College of Art and Design in the 1970s and was involved in the music scene as a member of Toronto bands Dollars, Songship and Go Deo Chorus. [3]

On March 17, 1978, she and her brother, Marcus O'Hara, started the Martian Awareness Ball, an event that continues to this day every Saint Patrick's Day at the Horseshoe Tavern.

In 1983, O'Hara left Go Deo and was signed by Virgin Records. Her contract with Virgin continued and eventually led to the 1988 release of Miss America. O'Hara later reflected on the production experience, noting "I loved the Celtic crosses and the sheep rolling around the hills by the studio in Wales. But for Virgin to go from, 'You can do whatever you want', to 'What have you done?'—that was tough." [2] [4]

In addition, she did some work as a graphic artist, including lettering for the cover of Dalbello's album whomanfoursays .

Debut album

In 1987, Michael Brook saw O'Hara in performance and soon took on the job of producing O'Hara's attempts at an album. He ultimately added new vocals to and remixed material that was originally recorded by Joe Boyd in 1984. [5] At least one of the songs, "To Cry About", had been written as early as 1980. [2] According to the liner notes of a later reissue, six of the tracks were recorded in 1984, four in 1988, and one in 1983 and mixed later. [6]

1990s–2000s

On their 1990 album The Caution Horses , the Cowboy Junkies recorded a sparse, haunting version of O'Hara's song "You Will Be Loved Again". In 1991, O'Hara followed up with a four-song EP of Christmas material. Following the Christmas EP , O'Hara took on several acting roles and appeared as a vocalist on recordings by a variety of other artists, including Morrissey ("November Spawned a Monster"), John & Mary, Bruce Cockburn, Holly Cole, Bob Wiseman, Meryn Cadell, The Henrys and Neko Case. She performed Dark, Dear Heart at John Candy's funeral in March 1994. She also contributed songs to a number of compilation albums, including tributes to Vic Chesnutt and Kurt Weill, and participated in a 1994 Christmas concert with Holly Cole, Rebecca Jenkins, Jane Siberry and Victoria Williams, which was released as the album Count Your Blessings . As well, she has occasionally performed in musical theatre, most notably productions of Tom Waits' experimental rock opera The Black Rider , stealing the show according to Pitchfork.com. [7]

During an R.E.M. concert in Toronto in 1999, Michael Stipe brought O'Hara on stage and declared her a "national treasure".[ citation needed ] Other artists who are said to be fans include Kristin Hersh, Radiohead, Dave Matthews and Rickie Lee Jones.[ citation needed ] However, she did not release a new recording under her own name until 2001, when she and longtime guitarist Rusty McCarthy contributed to the soundtrack for the Canadian film Apartment Hunting (in which she also acted).

On October 4 and 5, 2006, O'Hara performed Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" (with Gavin Friday) and "The Window" at Came So Far For Beauty, the Leonard Cohen Tribute organised by Hal Willner at The Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. She performed at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Minehead, England, over the weekend of April 27 to 29, 2007, and with Howe Gelb and friends at the Barbican Centre in London on May 2, 2007.

O'Hara also performed at Toronto's Canwest Cabaret Festival in both 2008 and 2009. In 2008, she performed at tribute shows to Cohen, Weill and Duke Ellington, and in 2009, she participated in a musical improvisation show with Michael Snow and Aidan Closs. She also gave a rare radio interview to promote the 2009 show, appearing on CBC Radio One's Q on October 28 — and performing an impromptu duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with host Jian Ghomeshi.

O'Hara sings the theme song for Someone Knows Something , a true-crime podcast from the CBC. [8] The song was written by Bob Wiseman.

On November 12, 2017, O'Hara performed a rare live show at Le Guess Who? Festival [9] in Utrecht, The Netherlands. O'Hara was invited by artist Perfume Genius who curated a program for the festival.

Work with other artists and acting

She appeared in the 1985 film The Last Polka as Gerta Lemon, one half of the Lemon Sisters singing duo alongside Catherine as Sylvie Lemon.

In December 1989 she was featured in the Razorbacks' CBC Television Christmas special It's a Razorbacks Christmas Barbeque, [10] for which she received a Gemini Award nomination for Best Performance in a Variety or Performing Arts Program or Series at the 5th Gemini Awards in 1990. [11]

O'Hara sang backup vocals for Morrissey on his song "November Spawned a Monster". She contributed to four albums by Bob Wiseman: In Her Dream, Accidentally Acquired Beliefs, Theme and Variations, and Giulietta Masina At The Oscars Crying. She also contributed to Justin Rutledge's album No Never Alone . She recorded a duet with Tindersticks called "Peanuts", which appeared on their 2010 album Falling Down A Mountain. On May 15, 2009, in Toronto, Will Oldham brought her on stage to perform a cover of John Prine's "In Spite of Ourselves".

O'Hara has made several film appearances. She acts alongside Tom Waits in Candy Mountain (1986), directed by Robert Frank and Rudy Wurlitzer. O'Hara has a leading role in Museum Hours (2012), set in and around the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, directed by Jem Cohen. [12] [13]

In 2024 she performed the voice of classical violinist Kathleen Parlow in the film Measures for a Funeral . [14]

Tributes

Musician Steve Adey recorded a song titled "Mary Margaret O'Hara" on his 2006 LP All Things Real .

Adey also covered "To Cry About" on his 2017 LP Do Me a Kindness.

“Something To Cry About” in the short story collection Radium Girl by Sofi Papamarko was inspired by the song “To Cry About” and built around three prompts given to the author by the singer on request.

Bria Salmena recorded a cover of "When You Know Why You're Happy" on her 2023 EP Cuntry Covers, Vol. 2. [15]

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

Contributions

Filmography

YearTitleRoleOther notes
1977 SCTV PrisonerTelevision series (appeared in one episode)
1985 The Last Polka Gerta LemonShmenge Brothers movie, starring John Candy, Eugene Levy and sister Catherine
1988 Candy Mountain Darlene
1991 The Events Leading Up to My Death Rita
2000 Apartment Hunting Helen
2003 Squeezebox Vivienneshort film by Andrew Hull
2003 Youkali Hotel Television film
2005Mr HappyMotherReleased in 2005 and 2006
Black Widow Elizabeth Peyton
2012 Museum Hours Annefilm by Jem Cohen
2016 The Rising Mary MacDiarmadafilm by Kevin McCann
2024 Measures for a Funeral Kathleen Parlow film by Sofia Bohdanowicz

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Williams</span> American singer, songwriter and musician (born 1958)

Victoria Williams is an American singer, songwriter and musician, originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, although she has resided in Southern California throughout her musical career. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the early 1990s, Williams was the catalyst for the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Murray</span> Canadian singer (born 1945)

Morna Anne Murray is a retired Canadian singer of pop, country, and adult contemporary music, who has sold over 55 million album copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray has won four Grammys including the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Slean</span> Musical artist

Sarah Hope Slean is a Canadian singer-songwriter, composer and musician. She has released eleven albums to date. She is also a poet, visual artist, and occasional actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Siberry</span> Canadian singer-songwriter (b. 1955)

Jane Siberry is a Canadian singer-songwriter, known for such hits as "Mimi on the Beach", "I Muse Aloud", "One More Colour" and "Calling All Angels". She performed the theme song to the television series Maniac Mansion. She has released material under the name Issa – an identity which she used formally between 2006 and 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holly Cole</span> Canadian jazz singer

Holly Cole is a Canadian jazz singer and actress. For many years she performed with her group The Holly Cole Trio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Sexsmith</span> Canadian musician (born 1964)

Ronald Eldon Sexsmith is a Canadian singer-songwriter from St. Catharines, Ontario. He was the songwriter of the year at the 2005 Juno Awards. He began releasing recordings of his own material in 1985 at age 21, and has since recorded seventeen albums. He was the subject of a 2010 documentary called Love Shines.

Lisa Concetta Dal Bello, also known as Dalbello, is a Canadian musician. She released three albums in the pop and pop/rock genre in her late teens, from 1977 through 1981 under her full name. In 1984, she re-emerged as Dalbello, with an edgier brand of alternative rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allison Crowe</span> Canadian musician (born 1981)

Allison Louise Crowe is a Canadian singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist born in Nanaimo, British Columbia, whose home is Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feist (singer)</span> Canadian musician

Leslie Feist, known mononymously as Feist, is a Canadian indie pop singer-songwriter and guitarist, performing both as a solo artist and as a member of the indie rock group Broken Social Scene.

<i>Count Your Blessings</i> (compilation album) Christmas album by Canadian artists

Count Your Blessings is a 1994 Christmas album, taking its title from the song of the same name included as its first track, presenting a concert recorded by Jane Siberry, Holly Cole, Rebecca Jenkins, Mary Margaret O'Hara and Victoria Williams. The concert was broadcast on CBC Radio in Canada, and National Public Radio in the United States, in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Wiseman</span> Canadian musical artist

Robert Neil Wiseman is a film composer, songwriter, author and music teacher. Wiseman discovered or produced many artists including Ron Sexsmith, The Lowest of the Low, Bruce McCulloch of Kids in the Hall, Anhai, and former Canadian member of parliament Andrew Cash. He is a founding member of Blue Rodeo with whom he won 5 Juno Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzie McNeil</span> Canadian musician

Susan Jane "Suzie" McNeil is a Canadian pop rock singer and songwriter. After garnering attention as a contestant on Rock Star: INXS in 2005, McNeil began pursuing a musical career and released her debut album, Broken & Beautiful, on April 10, 2007. Its second single, "Believe" was re-recorded with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in support of Canada's Own the Podium campaign, and served as the official anthem of the Canadian team for the 2010 Winter Olympics. McNeil performed alongside Theory of a Deadman and Andrée Watters at the halftime show during the 96th Grey Cup. Her second studio album, Rock-n-Roller (2008), spawned the successful single "Supergirl", a cover of the Saving Jane song. In 2011, McNeil signed with Canadian label 604 Records and enjoyed mainstream success with the songs "Drama Queen" and "Merry Go Round". They preceded the release of her third studio album, Dear Love, which came out on August 7, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serena Ryder</span> Canadian musician (born 1982)

Serena Lauren Ryder is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Born in Toronto, she grew up in Millbrook, Ontario. Ryder first gained national recognition with her ballad "Weak in the Knees" in 2007 and has released eight studio albums.

<i>Miss America</i> (Mary Margaret OHara album) 1988 studio album by Mary Margaret OHara

Miss America is the debut album by Canadian singer-songwriter Mary Margaret O'Hara, released in 1988 by Virgin Records.

Patricia Mary O'Callaghan is a classically trained Canadian singer. She is a soprano who has built an international reputation as a performer of contemporary opera, early 20th-century cabaret music and the songs of Leonard Cohen.

Reid Jamieson is a Canadian singer-songwriter. He was a regular member of the CBC's The Vinyl Cafe and won the grand prize for Folk in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest for the song RAIL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perla Batalla</span> American singer-songwriter

Perla Batalla is an American vocalist, composer and arranger who first gained international attention as a backup singer for Leonard Cohen before embarking on a solo career at his encouragement. Her debut album, Perla Batalla, was released on Discovery Records in 1994. She formed her own record label, Mechuda Music, and released the album Mestiza in 1998, making sales through her website. Discoteca Batalla (2002) was recorded as an homage to her parents' record shop of the same name. In 2005, Batalla recorded a tribute album to Cohen, titled Bird on the Wire, and featured in Hal Willner's Cohen tribute concert film, Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man.

The Razorbacks were a Canadian rockabilly band that attained moderate national popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band was known for its lively stage show, and made regular appearances on The Tommy Hunter Show on CBC.

September Songs – The Music of Kurt Weill is a music video of 94 minutes recorded in 1994 for Rhombus Media, ZDF (Germany), CBC (Canada) and RTP (Portugal). It was produced and directed by Larry Weinstein, and written by Weinstein and David Mortin. The film was conceived as a follow-up to the album Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill whose producer Hal Willner served as the music supervisor in this project. The film was nominated for the 1995 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Cultural Program; it won five Gemini Awards in 1997. An album was released in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heather Rankin (singer)</span> Canadian singer, songwriter and actor (born 1967)

Heather Elaine Rankin is a Canadian singer, songwriter and actor. She is most well known as a member of the multi-platinum selling musical group The Rankin Family.

References

  1. ↑ "Mary Margaret O'HARA biography". Thegreatrockbible.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Rogers, Jude (December 5, 2008). "Barbican bags Canada's psychic singer-songwriter Mary Margaret O'Hara for Christmas". Theguardian.com. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Mary Margaret O'Hara | Biography & History". AllMusic . Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  4. ↑ Buckley, Peter, ed. (2003). The rough guide to rock. Rough Guides. pp. 745–746. ISBN   978-1-84353-105-0 . Retrieved 14 January 2010.
  5. ↑ Larry Crane, "Interview with Joe Boyd", Tape Op, July/Aug 2007
  6. ↑ "Mary Margaret O'Hara". Furious.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  7. ↑ "The Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets". Pitchfork.com. 17 May 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Northern gothic: Bob Wiseman and the SKS theme song". Cbc.ca. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  9. ↑ "Line-up". Leguesswho.nl. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  10. ↑ Greg Burliuk, "Television, of all things, shows us the proper Christmas spirit". Kingston Whig-Standard , December 15, 1989.
  11. ↑ Stephen Nicholls, "Avonlea, E.N.G. lead Gemini nominations". Waterloo Region Record , October 24, 1990.
  12. ↑ A. O. Scott (June 27, 2013). "Old Masters, Sweet Mysteries". The New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Museum Hours critic reviews". metacritic. November 30, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  14. ↑ Jennie Punter, "Totem Films Nabs World Sales Rights to Sofia Bohdanowicz’s ‘Measures for a Funeral,’ Releases Exclusive Clip Ahead of Toronto Premiere". Variety , August 27, 2024.
  15. ↑ Ian Gormely, "Bria Plays with the Past on Fiery 'Cuntry Covers Vol. 2'". Exclaim! , February 23, 2023.
  16. ↑ "This Is What I Want". Spotify. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  17. ↑ Puerto Angel on band homepage
  18. ↑ Various Artists: Dark Was the Night: A Tribute to the Music of Blind Willie Johnson at AllMusic . Retrieved February 18, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.