Mary Coughlan (singer)
Encyclopedia
Mary Coughlan is an Irish jazz
and folk
singer and actress. She has received great acclamation in her native country, for her emotional and heartfelt jazzy musical renditions.
, Ireland
(her father was a soldier from County Donegal
). She was the eldest of five and had endured a very erratic youth. She left convent
school and started drinking alcohol
and taking drugs
at just 15. At this age she spent time in a mental hospital. After time in hospital and a belated graduation
, Coughlan decided to leave home. In the mid-1970s, she moved to London
, UK, where she married Fintan Coughlan and had three children. However, in 1981, she left her husband and took custody
of her children. In 1984, Coughlan moved back to Ireland
, to her hometown of Galway
. It was on her return to Ireland, when Coughlan started to perform in public, and soon was noticed by Dutch musician and producer Erik Visser.
were very popular in Europe
at the time, helped Coughlan to record her first album, Tired and Emotional
. Visser would go on to become her long-term collaborator. The album sold an unexpected 100,000 copies in Ireland
, partly due to a memorable appearance on The Late Late Show
. Despite her ongoing personal problems, Coughlan continued to reap praise for her recording output on WEA
. On Under the Influence
(1987) she revived the 1948 Peggy Lee
hit “Don’t Smoke in Bed’’and the Billie Holiday
ballad “Good Morning Heartache”, as well as Christy Moore
’s “Ride On”, which reached number 5 on the Irish pop charts in 1987. 1988 was another successful year for Coughlan, she made her acting debut in Neil Jordan
’s High Spirits
, and released her third studio album Ancient Rain. Despite her success, Coughlan lost her record contract with Warner Music Group.
However, in 1990, she signed up with East West Records and released her fourth album Uncertain Pleasures
, recorded in the UK and produced by Peter Glenister, former musical director for Terence Trent D'Arby. It included new compositions by Mark Nevin (Fairground Attraction
) and Bob Geldof
as well as covers of the Rolling Stones’ "Mother’s Little Helper" and Elvis Presley
’s "Heartbreak Hotel
". After receiving treatment for her personal problems, it seemed as though Coughlan had landed on her two feet once again. Sentimental Killer
(1992) and Love for Sale
(1993) were received well. In 1994, Coughlan lent her vocals to the hugely popular A Woman's Heart Vol.2 album, along with the likes of Mary Black
and Dolores Keane
. Coughlan released her first live album, Live in Galway, and released another studio album in 1997, After the Fall
, which became her American
debut.
In June 2000, Coughlan took another turn in her career when she presented a series of elaborate multimedia
shows in Dublin and in London
celebrating Billie Holiday
, a singer whose life story had parallels to Coughlan's own. The best of these shows was collected on the Mary Coughlan Sings Billie Holiday album. A new studio album was released the following April 2001, entitled Long Honeymoon, and another in 2002, Red Blues. The 2000s saw the release of numerous Coughlan compilation albums and her appearance on the RTÉ
reality charity show, Celebrity Farm
. The release of her most recent offering in 2008, The House of Ill Repute, sparked reviews that suggested it was her best yet. She has also taken part in the Sanctuary
album with Moya Brennan
.
, Coughlan was dealing with serious mis-management in relation to her career. It was so bad that she ended up losing her car, her house and her recording contract with WEA
. As a result, she started to drink
very regularly and was hospitalised over 30 times. Despite minor success with her acting and her music during this period, the public was more interested in her personal turmoil. Due to treatment she received, she recovered in 1994 and found a new partner, Frank Bonadio, with whom she had two more children, bringing her total to five. A public spat with singer Sinéad O'Connor
ensued over Bonadio's affections.
Coughlan’s public stance concerning the topics of abortion
, and the role of women in Irish society in general, are marked by brutal honesty
and frank criticism
.
Also featuring on:
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer and actress. She has received great acclamation in her native country, for her emotional and heartfelt jazzy musical renditions.
Background
Coughlan was born in County GalwayCounty Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
(her father was a soldier from County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
). She was the eldest of five and had endured a very erratic youth. She left convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
school and started drinking alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
and taking drugs
DRUGS
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are an American post-hardcore band formed in 2010. They released their debut self-titled album on February 22, 2011.- Formation :...
at just 15. At this age she spent time in a mental hospital. After time in hospital and a belated graduation
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
, Coughlan decided to leave home. In the mid-1970s, she moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK, where she married Fintan Coughlan and had three children. However, in 1981, she left her husband and took custody
Child custody
Child custody and guardianship are legal terms which are used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent and his or her child, such as the right of the parent to make decisions for the child, and the parent's duty to care for the child.Following ratification of the United...
of her children. In 1984, Coughlan moved back to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, to her hometown of Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
. It was on her return to Ireland, when Coughlan started to perform in public, and soon was noticed by Dutch musician and producer Erik Visser.
Musical career
Visser, whose band FlairckFlairck
Flairck is a Dutch musical ensemble formed in 1978 around guitar virtuoso Erik Visser. The group has varying members dependent on the project. Their musical style is a blend of folk music, jazz and classical chamber music, with touches of blues...
were very popular in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
at the time, helped Coughlan to record her first album, Tired and Emotional
Tired and Emotional
Tired and Emotional is the debut album by Irish jazz singer Mary Coughlan first released in 1985 under East West Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group .- Track listing :...
. Visser would go on to become her long-term collaborator. The album sold an unexpected 100,000 copies in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, partly due to a memorable appearance on The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...
. Despite her ongoing personal problems, Coughlan continued to reap praise for her recording output on WEA
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
. On Under the Influence
Under the Influence (Mary Coughlan album)
Under the Influence is the second album by Irish jazz singer Mary Coughlan. It was first released in 1987 on Warner Music .-Track listing:# "Laziest Girl"# "Ice Cream Van"# "Parade Of Clowns"# "My Land Is Too Green"...
(1987) she revived the 1948 Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
hit “Don’t Smoke in Bed’’and the Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
ballad “Good Morning Heartache”, as well as Christy Moore
Christy Moore
Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
’s “Ride On”, which reached number 5 on the Irish pop charts in 1987. 1988 was another successful year for Coughlan, she made her acting debut in Neil Jordan
Neil Jordan
Neil Patrick Jordan is an Irish filmmaker and novelist. He won an Academy Award for The Crying Game.- Early life :...
’s High Spirits
High Spirits
High Spirits may refer to:* High Spirits , a Broadway production based on the Noel Coward play Blithe Spirit* High Spirits , a comedy starring Peter O'Toole* High Spirits , a book by Robertson Davies...
, and released her third studio album Ancient Rain. Despite her success, Coughlan lost her record contract with Warner Music Group.
However, in 1990, she signed up with East West Records and released her fourth album Uncertain Pleasures
Uncertain Pleasures
Uncertain Pleasures is an album by Irish jazz singer Mary Coughlan first released in March 1990 under East West Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group .- Track listing :- Personnel :*Mary Coughlan - Vocals...
, recorded in the UK and produced by Peter Glenister, former musical director for Terence Trent D'Arby. It included new compositions by Mark Nevin (Fairground Attraction
Fairground Attraction
Fairground Attraction were a British acoustic pop band. They are best known for their hit single "Perfect", and for helping to launch the career of lead vocalist Eddi Reader.-Career:...
) and Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
as well as covers of the Rolling Stones’ "Mother’s Little Helper" and Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
’s "Heartbreak Hotel
Heartbreak Hotel
"Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American rock and roll musician Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. His first number-one pop record, "Heartbreak Hotel" topped Billboards Top 100 chart, became his first...
". After receiving treatment for her personal problems, it seemed as though Coughlan had landed on her two feet once again. Sentimental Killer
Sentimental Killer
Sentimental Killer is a March 1992 album by Irish jazz singer Mary Coughlan under East West Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group which was at the time known as WEA....
(1992) and Love for Sale
Love For Sale
Love for Sale may refer to:* "Love for Sale" , a song by Cole Porter initially from the 1930 musical The New Yorkers* Love for Sale Love for Sale may refer to:* "Love for Sale" (song), a song by Cole Porter initially from the 1930 musical The New Yorkers* Love for Sale Love for Sale may refer to:*...
(1993) were received well. In 1994, Coughlan lent her vocals to the hugely popular A Woman's Heart Vol.2 album, along with the likes of Mary Black
Mary Black
Mary Black is an Irish singer. She is well known as an interpreter of both folk and contemporary material which has made her a major recording artist in her native Ireland, and in many other parts of the world....
and Dolores Keane
Dolores Keane
Dolores Keane is an Irish folk singer and occasional actress. She was a founding member of the successful group De Dannan, and has since embarked on a very successful solo career, establishing herself as one of the most loved interpreters of Irish song.-Background:Keane was born in a small village...
. Coughlan released her first live album, Live in Galway, and released another studio album in 1997, After the Fall
After the Fall
After the Fall may refer to:* After the Fall , an Australian musical group* After the Fall * After the Fall * After the Fall , a novel in the Dragonriders of Pern series...
, which became her American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
debut.
In June 2000, Coughlan took another turn in her career when she presented a series of elaborate multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
shows in Dublin and in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
celebrating Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
, a singer whose life story had parallels to Coughlan's own. The best of these shows was collected on the Mary Coughlan Sings Billie Holiday album. A new studio album was released the following April 2001, entitled Long Honeymoon, and another in 2002, Red Blues. The 2000s saw the release of numerous Coughlan compilation albums and her appearance on the RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
reality charity show, Celebrity Farm
Celebrity Farm
Celebrity Farm was a 2003 Radio Telefís Éireann reality television show, based on the international TV format The Farm, produced by Strix. Held along similar lines as I'm a Celebrity.....
. The release of her most recent offering in 2008, The House of Ill Repute, sparked reviews that suggested it was her best yet. She has also taken part in the Sanctuary
Sanctuary (Irish charity album)
Sanctuary is an album supporting charity which was recorded in July 2007 at Glenstal Abbey, Co. Limerick, Ireland. The album features artists Moya Brennan, Mary Coughlan, Nóirín Ní Riain, Cara O'Sullivan, Jimmy O'Brien-Moran, the Monks of Glenstal and many others...
album with Moya Brennan
Moya Brennan
Moya Brennan, born Máire Ní Bhraonáin , also known as Máire Brennan , is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, and philanthropist who began performing professionally in 1970, when her family formed the band Clannad, and is now widely considered as the "First Lady of Celtic Music"...
.
Personal life
After her success in the mid-1980s with Tired and EmotionalTired and Emotional
Tired and Emotional is the debut album by Irish jazz singer Mary Coughlan first released in 1985 under East West Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group .- Track listing :...
, Coughlan was dealing with serious mis-management in relation to her career. It was so bad that she ended up losing her car, her house and her recording contract with WEA
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
. As a result, she started to drink
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
very regularly and was hospitalised over 30 times. Despite minor success with her acting and her music during this period, the public was more interested in her personal turmoil. Due to treatment she received, she recovered in 1994 and found a new partner, Frank Bonadio, with whom she had two more children, bringing her total to five. A public spat with singer Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
ensued over Bonadio's affections.
Coughlan’s public stance concerning the topics of abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, and the role of women in Irish society in general, are marked by brutal honesty
Honesty
Honesty refers to a facet of moral character and denotes positive, virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, and straightforwardness along with the absence of lying, cheating, or theft....
and frank criticism
Criticism
Criticism is the judgement of the merits and faults of the work or actions of an individual or group by another . To criticize does not necessarily imply to find fault, but the word is often taken to mean the simple expression of an objection against prejudice, or a disapproval.Another meaning of...
.
Discography
- Tired and EmotionalTired and EmotionalTired and Emotional is the debut album by Irish jazz singer Mary Coughlan first released in 1985 under East West Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group .- Track listing :...
, Warner Music Group 1985 - Under the InfluenceUnder the Influence (Mary Coughlan album)Under the Influence is the second album by Irish jazz singer Mary Coughlan. It was first released in 1987 on Warner Music .-Track listing:# "Laziest Girl"# "Ice Cream Van"# "Parade Of Clowns"# "My Land Is Too Green"...
, Warner Music Group 1987 - Ancient Rain, Warner Music Group 1988
- Uncertain PleasuresUncertain PleasuresUncertain Pleasures is an album by Irish jazz singer Mary Coughlan first released in March 1990 under East West Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group .- Track listing :- Personnel :*Mary Coughlan - Vocals...
, East West 1990 - Sentimental KillerSentimental KillerSentimental Killer is a March 1992 album by Irish jazz singer Mary Coughlan under East West Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group which was at the time known as WEA....
, East West 1992 - Love for SaleLove for Sale (Mary Coughlan album)Love For Sale is an album by Irish jazz singer Mary Coughlan, released in July 1995 by Demon Records.- Track listing :#"A Thrill's a Thrill"#"Moon Over Bourbon Street"#"Baby Plays Around"#"You Go To My Head"#"Love For Sale"#"A Fine Romance"...
, Demon 1993 - Love Me or Leave Me: The Best of Mary Coughlan, Warner Music 1994
- Live in GalwayLive in GalwayLive in Galway is a 1996 live album by Irish jazz singer Mary Coughlan.- Track listing :# "The Laziest Gal in Town" – 3:10# "The Beach" – 3:37# "Hearts" – 3:14...
, Big Cat 1996 - After the Fall, Big Cat/V2 1997
- Mary Coughlan Sings Billie Holiday, Evangeline 2000
- Long Honeymoon, Evangeline 2001
- Red Blues, Tradition & Moderne, 2002
- Live At The Basement, Hail Mary Records, 2004
- The Best, Hail Mary Records, 2004
- The House Of Ill Repute, Ruby Works Records, 2008
Also featuring on:
- SanctuarySanctuary (Irish charity album)Sanctuary is an album supporting charity which was recorded in July 2007 at Glenstal Abbey, Co. Limerick, Ireland. The album features artists Moya Brennan, Mary Coughlan, Nóirín Ní Riain, Cara O'Sullivan, Jimmy O'Brien-Moran, the Monks of Glenstal and many others...
, Various Artists, Independent 2008 - Emotions, Various Artists, Compact Disc Club 2006