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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZMULDAUR, Maria(b Maria Grazia Rosa Domenica D'Amato, 12 Sep. '42, NYC) Singer, also plays guitar and fiddle. Listened to rock'n'roll, blues, jazz; organized vocal groups in high school and could have signed a contract at 16, but stayed in school instead; by the time she graduated from high school she had been captivated by oldtime fiddling (of Gaither Carlton, Doc Watson's father-in-law) and become involved in Greenwich Village folk scene. Worked in Even Dozen Jug Band, with Steve Katz, John Sebastian, Stefan Grossman, David Grisman, Joshua Rifkin (organized by Victoria Spivey to record on her label, they made an LP for Elektra '64 instead); then Jim Kweskin Jug Band, where she met and married Geoff Muldaur. They made duo LPs Pottery Pie '69 on Reprise and Sweet Potatoes '72 on WB, then separated; she made solo LP Mud Acres '72 on Rounder, then Maria Muldaur '73 on Reprise, with a wide range of material and sidemen incl. Dr John (Rebennack), Ry Cooder, guitarist Amos Garrett; LP went top 20 and single 'Midnight At The Oasis' to no. 6 (with Garrett solo break). Waitress In The Donut Shop '74 incl. horn arrangements by Benny Carter, followed by Sweet Harmony '76, Southern Winds '78, Open Your Eyes '79; all but the last charted, but sold less and less well and WEA dropped her. She gigged with bands as diverse as Jerry Garcia and Carter: 'I imagined that an audience would be just as tired of the older material as I would be ... I suppose there are some hippies wearing bedspread dresses living in Sonoma County in a treehouse who wish I'd never gone electric.' Recording for small labels meant fewer problems and kept her many fans happy. Further LPs incl. Gospel Night on Takoma, There Is A Love '82 on Myrhh, Sweet And Low '84 on Spindrift. Her phrasing and light timbre has been compared to that of Mildred Bailey; with Carter she performed Duke Ellington's 'Transblucency (a blue fog you can almost see through)', a wordless vocal first sung by Kay Davis with Duke '46; it became title track of '85 LP on Uptown. She also contributed to film soundtrack Steelyard Blues '72 with Paul Butterfield and Mike Bloomfield. Live In London came out '87 on Making Waves UK, whereupon that distributor/label folded. A renaissance began with Louisiana Love Call '92 and continued with Meet Me At Midnight '94 on Black Top, followed by Fanning The Flames '96 on Telarc. She spends a lot of time in New Orleans, describes her music as 'bluesiana': she just keeps getting better. Meanwhile Geoff Muldaur (b '45) made solo folk/blues LPs for Prestige '64--5, more elaborate productions on Reprise '75--6, went back to the roots on Flying Fish with Geoff Muldaur and Amos Garrett '78, Blues Boy '79. Both Muldaurs benefited from working with the excellent guitarist Garrett. |