| Fan Story - Marybeth Mank | |
|---|---|
| Author: | Marybeth Mank |
| Date: | 21 November 2002 |
| Source: | |
| E-mail: | Mbtm2003@aol.com |
| Website: | |
I first heard (and saw) Mary Black on a special program shown on one my local cable television channels, TNN (at that time, The Nashville Network). I believe it was shown approximately eight years ago. One of my favourite American country music performers, Emmylou Harris, had taped part of this special in Ireland, and she featured Mary Black. I cannot remember if there were any additional Irish performers featured. I was captivated by Ms. Black's voice.
I wish I could remember the first song I heard her sing, but unfortunately, I cannot. I do remember which song which really grabbed my attention, though. The song was 'Ellis Island'. I have studied immigrants who migrated from all over the world to America, including Irish immigrants. I have also been fascinated by Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, and the history surrounding this particular era. When Ms. Black sang, I had a strong clear picture in my head of families being torn apart as members departed for America. That song moved me. Every time that special was aired, I would watch just so I could hear that cry in her voice as she sang that particular song.
I tried in vain to locate cassettes and/or CDs. I was not successful until a couple of years later. My son and I went to an Irish festival (the North Texas Irish Festival) held by our own Southwest Celtic Music Association. It is held every March on the grounds of the State Fair of Texas. A vendor from Oklahoma had a large selection of Celtic music. As part of his selection, he had several copies of the Babes in the Wood CD. I purchased one, and if it were possible to wear out a CD like you used to be able to vinyl records, I would have worn that CD out. (I think my coworkers secretly wished I had worn it out.) Every time I went to our Irish Fest, I tried to locate other CDs from her discography. However, I was not successful.
A couple of years later, I was elated to see that she was touring the U.S. as a member of Lilith Fair which I believe was started up by Sarah McLachlin. A Dallas date was included, but unfortunately the date was a weekday. I was not able to take a day off from work to attend. I was disappointed.
A couple of years later, I saw in our newspaper that Ms. Black was scheduled for a performance at the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas. One of my best friends said she would buy the tickets when they went on sale, and I could reimburse her in February. (I thought this was kind of funny because she always commented on how often I listened to my CD.) The performance date was actually a couple of days before my birthday of January 28. When we got to the Bass and found our seats, she told me that the tickets were my birthday present. That was such a special surprise, because she got us excellent seats. We were about six rows back from the stage. I loved the performance. Again, I was transfixed when Ms. Black sang 'Ellis Island'. I purchased another CD (Song for Ireland) and I have just about worn that one out, too. I wish I could locate a reliable source for her CDs here in the States.
I know this is rather lengthy. I love her music. Some of her songs are thought-provoking, some lift my spirits, and some are just fun. I wish she would return to Dallas soon. Perhaps you could persuade her to contact the Southwest Celtic Music Association and perform at our Irish Fest. We also have a beautiful symphony hall (the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center) where her voice would just sound so awesome. The Meyerson has amazing acoustics.
Thank you for the website. Perhaps I could figure out the exchange rate and order CDs from there. Keep up the great work.
Sincerely,
Marybeth Mank