Mary Lou Lord (born March 1, 1965) is an

indie folk Indie folk is a music genre that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Indie folk hybridizes the acoustic guitar melodies of traditional folk music with contemporary instrumentation. The genre has its ...

musician who started performing as a busker in Boston.

Life and career

Mary Lou Lord first gained attention playing

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

and singing in and around

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

's subway stations, particularly on the Red Line, as noted by the name she chose for her music and lyric publishing company, On the Red Line Music, administered by BMI. Lord became friends with

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

front man

Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who served as the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona ...

in the fall of 1991, before the group's rise to mainstream fame; there has been much speculation about their relationship. In 2010, Lord published an explanation from her point of view. She met

Elliott Smith Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of hi ...

through

Slim Moon Matthew "Slim" Moon (born October 15, 1967) is an American musician and the founder of the American independent music label Kill Rock Stars (KRS). He also started its sister label, 5 Rue Christine. Slim ran KRS from 1991 to 2006, during which ...

, the owner of

Kill Rock Stars Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson, and based in both Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, but was originally known ...

and her boyfriend at the time. Lord toured three times with Smith during the 1990s. Smith also wrote and helped Lord record a song called "I Figured You Out" in 1997. Lord signed with the Sony subsidiary Work in 1997 and released the album ''Got No Shadow'' in 1998. On December 31, 1998, Lord and Kevin Patey, from the band Raging Teens, had a daughter, whom they named Annabelle Lord-Patey. Her recording of

Daniel Johnston Daniel Dale Johnston (January 22, 1961 – September 11, 2019) was an American singer, musician and artist regarded as a significant figure in outsider, lo-fi, and alternative music scenes. Most of his work consisted of cassettes recorded a ...

's "Speeding Motorcycle" (which originally featured on her self-titled 8-song Kill Rock Stars release) was featured in commercials for

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

stores, after which her label reissued the song as the lead track of a CD single which also included two demo recordings from the sessions for ''Got No Shadow''. In 2001, Lord released '' Live City Sounds''. This was a self-released disc of Lord playing live in the Boston subway. The disc was re-released after she signed to Rubric Records. ''Baby Blue'', a CD recorded at London and produced by

The Bevis Frond The Bevis Frond is an English rock band formed in 1986 in Walthamstow, London, England. The band is fronted by Nick Saloman and has recorded many singles and albums on various independent labels. Information Saloman was originally in a band kno ...

leader Nick Saloman, was published by Rubric Records in 2004. Saloman played guitar, bass and harp and wrote most of the songs. Lord announced in 2005 that she suffered from a rare vocal cord affliction known as

spasmodic dysphonia Spasmodic dysphonia, also known as laryngeal dystonia, is a disorder in which the muscles that generate a person's voice go into periods of spasm. This results in breaks or interruptions in the voice, often every few sentences, which can make a pe ...

. She thereafter became more involved in A&R work and started a new management company with Kevin Patey, Jittery Jack Management. In 2011, Lord used

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

to record a new album titled ''Backstreet Angels'', which was self-released in 2015. In 2012 she began performing regularly once again. In 2019, Lord and fellow musician Maryanne Window began a podcast titled "How The Hell Did That Happen?" The podcast attracted attention from mainstream media, as Lord provided details of her romance and friendships with Kurt Cobain and Elliott Smith during the 1990s.

Discography

Cassettes

* ''Real'' – Deep Music (1992) * ''TSWL (To Sir With Love)'' – EW Productions/Demo tape (1993)

Albums

* ''

Got No Shadow ''Got No Shadow'' is an album by Mary Lou Lord, released in early 1998 on Work Records. Song information "His Lamest Flame" is a reference to the Elvis Presley song "(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame". The song "She Had You" was a hit in the ...

'' –

The WORK Group The Work Group (stylized as The WORK Group) was an American record label. History In July 1999, founders Jeff Ayeroff and Jordan Harris left the label. Catalog Artists *Tatyana Ali (MJJ Music/Work) * Fiona Apple (Clean Slate/Work) *El ...

(1998) * '' Live City Sounds'' – Self-released (2001), reissue: Rubric Records (2002) * ''Baby Blue'' – Rubric Records /

Loose Music Loose is a British independent record label based in Ladbroke Grove, London. In 1998, Loose was formed from the vinyl only record label, Vinyl Junkie, which was set up in 1994 by Tom Bridgewater. Loose Music - About Since 1998, Loose has rele ...

(2004) * ''Backstreet Angels'' – Self-released (2015)

EPs and singles

* ''Some Jingle Jangle Morning (When I'm Straight)'' 7" vinyl single –

(1993) * ''Mary Lou Lord'' EP –

(1995) * ''Martian Saints!'' EP –

(1997) * ''Mind the Gap'' EP –

(1997) * ''The Pace of Change'' EP –

(1998) * ''Lights Are Changing'' EP –

(1998) * ''She Had You'' single –

(1998) * ''(Untitled)'' EP –

(1999) * '' Mary Lou Lord/Sean Na Na Split EP'' –

(2000) * ''Speeding Motorcycle'' EP – Rubric Records (2001)

Compilation and soundtrack contributions

* ''

Stars Kill Rock ''Stars Kill Rock'' is a 1993 compilation album released on the Kill Rock Stars label. Track listing # Tiger Trap - "Supreme Nothing" # godheadSilo - "Nutritious Treat" # Frumpies - "Fuck Kitty" # Jack Acid - "Cheap Tragedies" # Tribe 8 - "Spee ...

'': "Camden Town Rain" –

(1993) * ''A Slice of Lemon'': "Eternal Circle" –

Lookout Records Lookout Records (stylized as Lookout! Records) was an independent record label, initially based in Laytonville, California and later in Berkeley, California, Berkeley, focusing on punk rock. Established in 1987, the label is best known for having ...

(1996) * '' Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon'': " Power to the People" (with

The Minus 5 The Minus 5 is an American pop rock band headed by musician Scott McCaughey of Young Fresh Fellows, often in partnership with R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck. Band history McCaughey formed the band in 1993 as a side project with Buck, Jon Auer ...

) –

Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label focuses in pop, rock, alternative, hip hop, and country genres, as well as specializing in mature recordings not suitable for the flagship Walt Disney Records l ...

(1995) * '' Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits'': "

Sugar, Sugar Sugar, Sugar is a song written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim (singer), Andy Kim. It was originally recorded by the Archies – a fictional band of studio musicians linked to the 1968–69 US Saturday morning TV cartoon ''The Archie Show'', inspire ...

" (with

Semisonic Semisonic is an American rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1995, consisting of Dan Wilson (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), John Munson (bass, keyboards, backing vocals, guitar), and Jacob Slichter (drums, percussion, keyboards, ba ...

), –

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

(1995) * ''Safe and Sound'': "Polaroids" – Big Rig Records /

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

(1996) * ''

Jabberjaw ''Jabberjaw'' is an American animated television series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera which aired 16 original episodes on ABC from September 11 to December 18, 1976. Reruns continued on ABC until September 3 ...

: Pure Sweet Hell'': "Birthday Boy" – Mammoth Records (1996) * ''Yo Yo A Go Go'': "Helsinki (live)" – Yo Yo Recordings (1996) * ''Everybody Wants Some'': "Jump" – CherryDisc (1997) * ''107.1 KGSR / Radio Austin – Broadcasts Volume 6'': "His N.D. World" (live) – KGSR (1998) * ''

Zero Effect ''Zero Effect'' is a 1998 American mystery comedy film written and directed by Jake Kasdan in his feature directional debut. Starring Bill Pullman as "the world's most private detective", Daryl Zero, and Ben Stiller as his assistant Steve Arlo, ...

Motion Picture Soundtrack'': "Some Jingle Jangle Morning" –

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

(1998) * ''Wicked Good Sampler Vol. IV : "On the Avenue" –

(1998) * ''SXSW Volume 5'': "I'm Talking To You" (live) –

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...

(1999) * ''Transmission 1: Tea at the Palaz of Hoon'': "The Outdoor Miner" – Cosmodemonic Telegraph Inc. (2000) * ''Rubric 01'': "From Galway to Graceland" – Rubric Records (2000) * ''

Gordon Gano Gordon James Gano (born June 7, 1963) is an American musician widely known as the singer, guitarist and songwriter of American folk punk band Violent Femmes. Early life Gano was born in New York City to actor parents Norman and Faye Gano, and gr ...

: Hitting The Ground'': "Oh Wonder" – Cooking Vinyl (2002) * ''For a Decade of Sin: 11 Years of Bloodshot Records'': "Cold Company" –

Bloodshot Records Bloodshot Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, which specializes in alternative country. History Bloodshot Records was founded in 1994 by Nan Warshaw, Rob Miller, and Eric Babcock, who knew each other from jobs ...

(2005) *

Joe Harvard Joseph Incagnoli (1959–2019), better known as Joe Harvard, was an American musician, record producer, and writer, who played a key role in developing the alternative rock scene in Boston, Massachusetts, in the 1980s. He founded Fort Apache Stud ...

: ''Country Eastern'' – Aeria Records (2008)

Notes

External links

Official website
*

Mary Lou Lord Mary Lou Lord (born March 1, 1965) is an indie folk musician who started performing as a busker in Boston. Life and career Mary Lou Lord first gained attention playing acoustic guitar and singing in and around Boston's subway stations, particu ...

s entry at

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lord, Mary Lou 1965 births American street performers American women singer-songwriters American rock songwriters American women rock singers Living people People from Salem, Massachusetts Singer-songwriters from Massachusetts The Minus 5 members Guitarists from Massachusetts 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American women guitarists