Biography
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Born
22 December 1946
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Born In
Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, United States
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Died
2 October 2022 (aged 75)
Mary McCaslin (born in Indianapolis on 22 December 1946; died 2 October 2022) was an American folk singer who wrote, recorded, and performed contemporary folk music.
McCaslin got her start in the mid-1960s at the Troubadour Club in West Hollywood, California, performing at its Monday Night Hoots (as the club’s open-mic nights were known). She recorded primarily for Philo Records, and traveled and performed with her husband, Arkansas folk singer Jim Ringer.
McCaslin represented an unbroken link between traditional American folksingers and contemporary "new folk" singer-songwriters. Known for her songs about the West, its landscape, and its outlaws as well as her insightful songs about relationships, McCaslin was an influential musician. For many years before her current solo career, she toured with her husband, Arkansas folk singer Jim Ringer.
McCaslin was a pioneer of open tunings, using them long before they gained their full popularity. In addition to her flawless fingerpicking style on the guitar, she also played "clawhammer" banjo using it to great (and unique) effect on such unlikely songs as "Blackbird" and "Pinball Wizard." These and other personalized arrangements of popular songs consistently added to her appeal.
In April of 1994 Philo / Rounder released "Broken Promises" , her first recording of new material since 1980. She released three further albums.
Her songs have been recorded by Tom Russell, Bill Staines, Gretchen Peters, David Bromberg, Kate Wolf, Stan Rogers, and Còig.
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