| Mary Margaret O'Hara |
| Birth name |
Mary Margaret O'Hara |
| Origin |
Toronto, Canada |
| Occupations |
Singer, songwriter |
| Years active |
1984-present (intermittently) |
| Labels |
Virgin Records |
Mary Margaret O'Hara is a Canadian singer-songwriter and actress, who has been hailed as one of the greatest cult heroines in rock music despite having released very few of her own recordings. She is best known for the critically acclaimed album Miss America, released in 1988.
Music career
Early stages
O'Hara was born in Toronto, Ontario to a large Catholic family. She is the sister of comedic actress Catherine O'Hara. Her early musical tastes included Van Morrison, Dinah Washington, and her father's jazz records.[1] 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.[2]
She left the Go Deo Chorus in 1983, after recording demos which won her a recording contract with Virgin Records. However, her first album did not appear until 1988 because O'Hara's perfectionism and unconventional recording habits made the record difficult to complete. Andy Partridge of XTC had been scheduled to produce recordings with her, but was fired by her manager Jody Colero from the project when she found out that he was an atheist and that Partridge's co-producer on the project John Leckie (who produced albums by XTC and, later, The Stone Roses) was a follower of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, a controversial Indian guru who reportedly supported free love. The original recordings were made at Rockfield Studios in Wales. O'Hara later said ""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."[1]
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 was captivated by her unique style, 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.[3] At least one of the songs, "To Cry About", had been written as early as 1980.[1] 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.[4]
When Miss America was finally released in 1988, O'Hara's songwriting (a fusion of jazz, country, rock and pop) and distinctive vocal style — which can move from a pure, angelic croon to a loud wail in seconds — quickly won her raves from critics and fellow musicians alike. It was hailed in many quarters as one of the best and most distinctive records of the decade, and has in fact made an appearance in some music magazines' polls of the best records of the 20th century. The British music magazine Mojo sings her praises regularly.
Continuing success
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, John & Mary, Bruce Cockburn, Holly Cole, Meryn Cadell, The Henrys and Neko Case. 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.
During an R.E.M. concert in Toronto in 1999, Michael Stipe brought O'Hara on stage and declared her a "national treasure". Other artists who are said to be fans include Kristin Hersh, Radiohead, Dave Matthews and Rickie Lee Jones.
However, she did not release a new recording under her own name until 2001, when she and long time 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.
Work with other artists
O'Hara sang backup vocals for Morrissey on his song, "November Spawned a Monster", and for Justin Rutledge on his album No Never Alone.
O'Hara has also made several small film appearances, most notably with Tom Waits in Candy Mountain (1986).
On May 15, 2009 in Toronto, Will Oldham brought her on stage to perform a cover of "In Spite of Ourselves" by John Prine.
Tribute
Musician Steve Adey recorded a song entitled "Mary Margaret O'Hara" on his 2006 LP, All Things Real.[5]
Discography
Albums
Contributions
Filmography
Acting career
References
External links
