Mary Coughlan (singer)
| Mary Coughlan | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mary Doherty |
| Born |
5 May 1956 County Galway, Ireland |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels | Tradition & Moderne, Rubyworks Records |
| Website | Official site |
Mary Coughlan (born 5 May 1956, County Galway) 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.
Mary Coughlan was born in County Galway, 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, Mary Coughlan moved back to Ireland, to her hometown of Galway. It was on her return to Ireland, when she started to perform in public, and soon was noticed by Dutch musician and producer Erik Visser.
Visser, whose band Flairck 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 because of 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 Jimmy McCarthy'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. Despite her success, Coughlan lost her record contract with Warner Music Group.
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