| The Songs of Mary Lou O'Hern |
Mary Lou O'Hern released her debut CD in May and I had the pleasure of reviewing it. I caught up with her three months later to see how things are going..
Kim - I reviewed your CD when it came out and I really enjoyed it. You know how a lot of CD's you get, by the 2nd or 3rd time you listen to them, you've picked out songs you really don't like, and you skip over them? Well, I haven't done that with yours at all. No matter how many times I listen to it, I still like every single song. You have an awesome talent and none of your songs sound the same.
ML - That is such a great compliment. I was so appreciative of what you said in the review and the compliments you paid the work. You know, you start into the thing and you have these raw, basic songs and you pull the players together and the songs start to take on some sort of personality. We wondered, is this too eclectic? Is it too much variety? Overall, I think the response has been like yours ... people enjoy the variety of styles. It's fun, it's fun to sing it.
Kim -It's fun to listen to and there is such a variety of styles. Who would you say were your musical influences when you were growing up?
ML - I grew up in a really, really, really small town (less than 800 people). There was no music program in my school. My earliest influences were my mother playing piano for church and for ballet classes and watching Lawrence Welk with my grandparents. Watching Ed Sullivan and dancing to the Beatles on Ed Sullivan when they first came out. When my mother would leave the house my dad would turn on Porter Wagner and Dolly Parton. He was only allowed to do that when mom was gone! (laughs) So I had a classical church background with my mom and a more earthy background with my dad. Then when I got into college I really loved Emmy Lou and Ricky Skaggs and of course, American Top 40. When the contemporary Christian music movement started with Marantha and the really early stuff, I was into that. I was a Christian teenager, Christian college girl and I really loved music. When praise and worship came out I was in on that movement.
Kim - Who would you say that your favorite Christian composer or singer is now?
ML - I really can not answer that. My tastes are so eclectic. I love Gregorian chant. I love the really ancient music of the faith and composers all along the way. As far as contemporary Christian composers, of course, I love Rich Mullins and Michael Card ... there's just so many good ones.
Kim - Your experience has been so diversified. You've performed with the symphony, with a bluegrass band, a opera company, a swing band, a Motown nostalgia band and a CCM group, all before going solo. Do you have any stand out moments from those opportunities that you'd like to share?
ML -There are lots of stand out moments, most of them just humiliating. (laughs) Jack of all trades, master of none. I am grateful to God because I was a little girl who grew up with no opportunity to sing except maybe some hymns and Bill Gaither songs in my little country church. I love the Gaithers, by the way. Beyond that, I didn't have many opportunities until I got to college. I had this passion for singing but no outlet. When I got to college and I was in the classical choir, prissing around in my Calvin Klein jeans and my matching belt and purse, I met these blue grass players out of the blue. They called me one day in my dorm and said "You wanna go cut a TV show with us? We need a singer". Of course, I knew Country Rose and Rocky Top. That was all I knew. They asked what key I did it in. They picked me up ... I got into the van with a group of total strangers, with my little prissy outfit on. This little prissy college girl, in the classical choir, and I'm going to go off and cut this TV show with them. It was really humiliating because I just really didn't have a clue. They said "You're just going to have to pick a part. Pick a part and sing it". They taught me a whole different kind of musicianship. I guess ditto with the symphony. Not that I ever did anything great and wonderful with the symphony. You know, I really don't know what to say about the symphony. I did a lot of things behind the scenes and a lot of things with the children's choir that I directed. It has opened my eyes a lot. One of my most fun solo opportunities was when my kids were babies and I got to sing with a live big band. The first time I did that I thought I would just pass out because they were so good and they were so electric. I thought I would just fall off the stage. I stayed with them for more than 10 years. But the first time, I thought I had just died and gone to Heaven. I don't know that there's a stand out moment. I'm just grateful that God has granted this teeny little desire of my heart and allowed me to work with these wonderful musicians, and I am the least of all of them.
