Canadian transplant and queen of Long Island country music, Mary Lamont, took me on a roller coaster ride of a recent interview for The Long Island Sound Podcast. The twists and turns of her entry into the music business are spectacular. From Anne Murray to Alice Cooper, a story I never imagined!
Photo by Jim Marches
Mary is not only a great country crooner and singer/songwriter, but also an avid proponent of original music as a DJ, and her longtime show, Down Home Country, is hosted at Stony Brook University’s WUSB on Sundays at noon. It alternates on 90.1 FM. radio station.
WUSB covers so many different genres, that’s one of the joys of being part of WUSB. That means anyone can find a show on WUSB that plays any type of music he wants. And I can’t say the same about supporting other stations or, as you say, local talent.
Mary Lamont
navigate the music industry
Mary stumbled into the music industry by accident, gaining experience in the trenches as a receptionist for Alice Cooper, before progressing through an informal apprenticeship at a booking agent and a trade magazine called Crawdaddy’s. Her early inspiration came from her father.
But my father said you can sing. You enter the church choir. And my first reaction is, no, you can’t do that. i can’t do that And he says yes, you can.
Mary Lamont
By chance, inspiration and encouragement collided, Mary decided to move out of her comfort zone and become a singer/songwriter. Mary credits her music career to her two men, her father and her husband Jim Marcais. Jim is a respected photographer in the music industry, having even scored a gig as photographer for Bruce His Springsteen on a European tour. He is also the band’s guitarist.
… My husband, in putting this band together, did not have a better pun for encouraging me to be the leader of the band, with the guitar work he does. The riffs he plays around the house inspire me to write music.
Mary Lamont
Mary Lamont’s Band opened for Delbert McClinton, Marshall Tucker Band and Charlie Daniels Band. She continues to be an ambassador for country music, from her classic covers of her songs to her own music catalog.
There are many opportunities to spread goodwill
In 2002, when a Chinese foundation was looking for the Mary Lamont Band for a goodwill tour of China, Mary’s husband received a fateful phone call.
I mean, we went through Alice Cooper and Bruce Springsteen, but now China wants us to bring a band!
Mary Lamont
Mary and her band spent two weeks traveling across China, traveling 23,000 miles from Beijing to the Great Wall.
China was great. The entire musical tour was like our ‘Hard Days Night’. The schedule was hectic, but exhilarating. Our shows ranged from large outdoor concert events with thousands of people to beautiful large concert halls such as the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing.
Jim Marches
They say music is a universal language that can heal the world. We need ambassadors like Mary Lamont to spread the good news and build kind bridges between people and cultures.Join us for the continuation of her conversation with Mary Lamont on The Long Island Sound podcast.
May your generous joy inspire all you meet this holiday season and, as always, let the music take you on a journey!