Baker's Dozen

Artists discuss the 13 records that shaped their lives

4. Mary Margaret O’HaraMiss America

I love this for a few reasons. I think her voice is unparalleled and she’s absolutely amazing. The fact that there she’s done only one record is kind of tragic in some ways. I got really interested in her after hearing this, just from the quality of her voice. It is a pop record but the overtones are pretty jazzy. After watching a few interviews I fell in love with her character. She speaks kind of in fragments, and it seems like she’s really in her own mind garden. I learnt that she spent her entire advance on the musicians and ended up kind of broke from the record. That resonates personally with me, I don’t have much money to deal with but when I do I just give it to people because I’m so grateful that they’re playing music with me. I felt this kinship of the way she dealt with the music industry and the way I do.

Selected in other Baker’s Dozens: Jim White, Tanya Donelly
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