Mary MacGregor
| Mary Macgregor | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 6, 1948 Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States |
| Genres | Folk, country, soft rock |
| Years active | 1976–2000 |
| Labels | Ariola America, RSO Records |
Mary Macgregor (born May 6, 1948) is an American singer, best known for singing the 1976 song "Torn Between Two Lovers", which topped the Billboard charts for two weeks.
Macgregor was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. She began studying piano at age six, and was singing with bands by the time she was a teenager. After attending the University of Minnesota, Macgregor began to tour the country with various acts and caught the attention of Peter Yarrow from Peter, Paul & Mary. She soon joined Yarrow, singing backup on a solo tour, and made an appearance on his Love Songs album.
Signed to Ariola America records, Macgregor released her debut single, "Torn Between Two Lovers", in late 1976; it became a smash hit by February 1977. The new year saw the single top both the pop and adult contemporary charts and was certified as a gold record. In addition, it reached #3 on Billboard's Country chart and also reached No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart. Two further singles from the album of the same name, also written and produced by Yarrow, charted but were overwhelmed by the success of the title track.
Macgregor admitted in The Billboard Book of Number One Hits by Fred Bronson that she hated her own chart-topper, chiefly because she had little sympathy for the narrator of "Torn Between Two Lovers", a woman who confesses to her husband that she is having an affair, but pleads with her husband to stay with her and accept the situation. Macgregor also said that the song indirectly led to the breakup of her own marriage, because her career kept her away from home so often that her relationship with her husband strained, and they decided to separate. Macgregor did acknowledge that the song was successful because it appealed to listeners who had found themselves in the situation described in the lyrics.
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