Mary Gauthier

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana and long settled in Nashville, Mary Gauthier has since the 1990s developed a writing rooted in folk, country and Americana, with pared-down songs where storytelling occupies a central place. After having led another professional life in Boston, she recorded Dixie Kitchen in 1997 and then established herself on the American roots scene with Drag Queens in Limousines in 1999 and Filth and Fire in 2002. Mary Gauthier then refines a sober, often acoustic style, carried by a deep voice and lyrics that address family fractures, wandering, addiction, memory and the trajectories left to the margins. Mercy Now in 2005, Between Daylight and Dark in 2007, The Foundling in 2010 and Trouble and Love in 2014 mark this journey, between narrative folk, alternative country and introspective songwriting. In 2018, Mary Gauthier releases Rifles & Rosary Beads, co-written with American veterans and their loved ones as part of the SongwritingWith:Soldiers program, a project that further broadens her approach toward collective writing. She then pursues Dark Enough to See the Stars in 2022, while continuing to lead writing workshops and publishing the book Saved by a Song in 2021.