Mary Gauthier has earned widespread acclaim as one of North America’s most admired and influential singer-songwriters after picking up the torch passed to her by legendary friends and musical heroes. Gauthier’s early songs drew on experiences of adoption, addiction and recovery plus the challenge of growing up gay in Louisiana. She puts her empathy to good use as she embraces the stories of many marginalized people, evidenced by her Grammy-nominated 2018 album Rifles and Rosary Beads, a collection of songs Gauthier co-wrote with wounded Iraq war veterans. She chronicled her unorthodox career transition from the culinary arts to music in her 2021 book Saved by a Song where she describes the leap she made from chef to tunesmith, overcoming crippling stage fright superseded by her passion for songwriting.

Gauthier’s powerful songs such as A Little Mercy Now and I Drink attracted attention throughout the folk and Americana communities resulting in covers by artists Dolly Parton, Jimmy Buffett, Bettye Lavette and dozens more. Eleven albums later, Gauthier’s intense, heartfelt commitment to her vocation remains unabated. She explains, “Writing songs helps me sort out confusion, untangle powerful emotions, and ward off desperation. It helps me navigate the powerful emotional weather systems of life.”

- Eric Rosenbaum