Singer/songwriter Mary Lee Kortes thought she'd be editing books for living when she finally left her hometown of Whitefish, MT, for Manhattan city life in the mid-'80s. Music had been a hobby for Kortes since her early childhood, and by her teens she was mastering the guitar. Gigs in and around the West and Midwest were fun, but Kortes never took them seriously; seriously enough to make it her life.
Alas, songwriting was her ticket in. recorded Kortes' song "Everywhere I Go" for her 1985 album and it went to the top of the adult contemporary charts. She also guested on 's 1997 effort and 's Christmas album .
A fan base was evolving, so Kortes put her solo skills to the test with her own band, Mary Lee's Corvette.
A two-song self-titled demo appeared in 1997. Media jumped on it immediately and a local radio station tagged Mary Lee's Corvette "the 21st Century version of , , and wrapped up in one svelte package.
" Two years later, Mary Lee's Corvette released , and again radio was quick to support the album. She continued to play shows in and around New York City and her star power continued to soar.
One evening in mid-2001, Mary Lee's Corvette, which now consisted of Andy York (guitar), Rod Hohl (acoustic guitar), Diego Voglino (drums), Brad Albetta (bass), and Andy Burton (piano/organ), had a gig at Arlene's Grocery for "classic albums nights.
" Being a massive fan of , Kortes and her band prepped to play in its entirety. She was nervous and not really sure if she could go through with it, but she did, and it was a magical night. Luckily the soundman recorded the show, and became the second album for Mary Lee's Corvette, issued in August 2002.
That musical journey led Kortes and her band to write eight brand new tracks, which turned into a proper studio full-length entitled 700 Miles. The album was released in April 2003 and coincided stateside shows with Joe Jackson. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide ).
They have recorded five albums, notably 2002's song-for-song of 's , recorded live in New York.
Although Kortes was already writing songs and poetry when she moved to New York, she says she didn't expect a musical career to follow. However, she soon found work as a session singer, and her fourth completed song "Everywhere I Go" was recorded by album .
Kortes later began recording her own songs and released her first EP, Mary Lee's Corvette, in 1997, produced by her husband Eric "Roscoe" Ambel.
that "the bright bite in Mary Lee Kortes' voice [has] the high-mountain sunshine of Dolly Parton, with a sweet-iron undercoat of Chrissie Hynde." MLC's work has also been championed by British radio presenter , among others.
attracted attention from many quarters, not least Dylan himself, for whom MLC later opened in New York.
Kortes says of the title of the latest MLC album, Love, Loss Lunacy: "If you don't love something, you can't lose it. When you lose something you love, it makes you crazy.
And if you're crazy enough, you can fall back in love.
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