Canadian transplant and Queen of Long Island Country Music, Mary Lamont took me on a roller coaster ride of an interview recently on The Long Island Sound Podcast. The twists and turns of her entry into the music business is quite a story to behold. A story I would have never imagined that would take us from Anne Murray to Alice Cooper!
photo by Jim Marchese
Not only is Mary a fine country crooner and singer/songwriter, but she’s also a fierce advocate of original music as a DJ with her long-running show, Down Home Country, alternate Sundays at noon on WUSB 90.1 FM, the University of Stony Brook radio station.
That’s part of the fun of being part of WUSB, because there are so many different genres they cover. I mean, anybody can find a show on WUSB, who will be playing the type of music that they like. And you can’t really say that about the other stations and, as you say, the support of local talent.
Mary Lamont
Navigating the Music Industry
Mary found her way into the music industry by happenstance, cutting her teeth in the trenches as a receptionist for Alice Cooper and then progressing through an unofficial apprenticeship with a booking agent, and an industry magazine called Crawdaddy’s. Her early inspiration came from her father.
But my dad said you can sing. You’re going into the church choir. And my first reaction was No, no, I can’t do that. I can’t do that. And he says yes, you can.
Mary Lamont
Coincidence, inspiration, and encouragement collided to move Mary from her comfort zone to become a singer/songwriter. Mary credits her music career to two men in her life, her dad and her Husband, Jim Marchase. Jim is a well-respected photographer in the music business, having once landed a gig as Bruce Springsteen’s photographer on a European tour. He is also the guitarist in the band.
… my husband has been so for lack of a better pun instrumental in, in putting this band together, in encouraging me to, you know, to be the head of the band, you know, in the guitar work that he does, in the riffs that he plays around the house, that inspire me to write music.
Mary Lamont
Mary Lamont’s band has opened for Delbert McClinton, The Marshall Tucker Band and the Charlie Daniel’s Band. She continues to be an ambassador for country music from covers of classic songs to her own catalog of music.
Opportunities Abound Spreading the Goodwill
A fateful phone call came to Mary’s husband, in 2002 when a Chinese foundation was seeking the Mary Lamont Band for a goodwill tour of China.
I mean, we’ve gone through Alice Cooper and Bruce Springsteen, and now China wants us to bring the band over!
Mary Lamont
Over a two-week period Mary and her band would travel throughout China, covering 23,000 miles from Beijing to the Great Wall.
China was fantastic, the whole musical tour was like our one “Hard Day’s Night”! The schedule was hectic but exhilarating. Our shows were varied, from large outdoor concert events with thousands of people, as well as beautiful large concert halls such as Beijing’s Forbidden City Concert Hall.
Jim Marchese
They say music is the universal language that can heal the world. We sure need ambassadors like Mary Lamont spreading the good news and building bridges between people, cultures with kindness. Join me for the rest of the conversation with Mary Lamont on The Long Island Sound podcast.
During this holiday season, may your generosity of joy inspire everyone you meet, and as always, let the music take you on a journey!
