Mary Ann Redmond

Had singer Mary Ann Redmond started recording in the ‘60s or ‘70s instead of the ‘90s, it's quite possible that she would have gone down in history as one of the major soul stars of the Baby Boomer era. A gritty, rugged, big-voiced belter whose primary influences range from Ike & Tina Turner to Etta James to Aretha Franklin, Redmond would have been perfect for the gospel-influenced soul climate of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Perhaps she could appeal to the urban contemporary market of the 21st Century if she had more of a hip-hop-ish neo-soul approach à la Mary J. Blige, Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott or Jaguar Wright, but Redmond's R&B is untouched by the high-tech, hip-hop-influenced urban contemporary sounds of the ‘80s, ‘90s and 2000s--she is, for the most part, a gutsy, hard-edged soul singer in the classic sense (although with a definite rock edge most of the time), and Redmond's fans love the fact that she is unapologetically retro in her outlook. Some have described Redmond as a blues singer, which often happens when artists favor classic soul over urban contemporary--these days, the blues bins are full of CDs that are really more soul than blues. But even though Redmond can easily handle 12-bar blues (as well as rock and jazz), soul is really her main focus--at least on her CDs. Born and raised in Richmond, VA, Redmond grew up listening to a variety of R&B, rock and pop. Redmond's interest in music was encouraged by her mother (who sang, although not professionally) and her two brothers (one of whom taught her to play the guitar). As a teenager, she learned to play "House of the Rising Sun" on the guitar, but singing--not guitar playing--would become Redmond's primary focus. After graduating from high school, Redmond majored in voice at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)...