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www.cherishtheladies.com
Mary and her father,
Jim Coogan
Mary Coogan– Biography
MARY COOGAN was born in Yonkers, New York. Her mother
Celia was a native of County Roscommon, and brought
over a strong love for music, singing and dance when
immigrating to New York. Her father Jim was a first
generation Irish American accordion player and was
greatly influenced by the Irish American music of
the forties.
Immersed in a household of Irish
music, Mary’s first exposure to the Irish tenor
banjo was hearing Barney McKenna on an old recording
of the Dubliners. A banjo came into the house through
a friend of the family who had a Vega Wonder and Mary
began picking tunes with her father. As a teenager
she taught herself to play guitar, mandolin, and tenor
banjo, listening largely to the recordings of Mick
Moloney, The Boys of the Lough, and The Bothy Band,
as there were no plectrum players in the area.
Mary met Joanie Madden in the
1980s, and became involved in the Cherish the Ladies
concert series brought about by banjo great Mick Moloney
and the Ethnic Folk Arts Center of New York City.
Cherish the Ladies, piloted by bandleader Joanie Madden,
continued beyond the three New York concerts and developed
into a fulltime touring ensemble, performing worldwide
to critical acclaim.
Mary left her full time elementary
school teaching position to tour with Cherish the
Ladies and has been performing, teaching, and recording
full time for the past 10 years.
Along with 10 Cherish the Ladies
recordings, Mary also has 3 recordings of her own:
Passing Time, Christmas, and most recently a
children’s recording The Big Ship Sails,
with longtime friend and vocalist, Kathy Ludlow.
When not touring with Cherish
the Ladies, Mary teaches guitar and tenor banjo in
the New York area.
In addition to her musical talents,
she also holds her masters degree in education, and
is named in Who’s Who Among American Teachers.
Mary’s Banjos
About the banjos I own/play ….
My first banjo was a Vega Wonder
tenor, which I still have. I believe it’s a
1920’s model. It belonged to a dear friend of
the family who lent it to me, and my parents eventually
bought it as a gift.
I tune it in the true tenor tuning
(CGda), which is how I originally learned, totally
unaware that the Irish players used a heavier guage
string and tuned it down like a fiddle, (G’DAe).
Looking for something not so heavy
to carry, I began trying to find smaller banjos, and
picked up a few little no names along the way, only
to become disappointed with the sound and/ or quality.
I had the great fortune to meet
Chuck and Tanya Ogsbury from Ome Banjos at the Winfield
Bluegrass festival in Kansas several years ago, and
now have an Ome Juniper model tenor, with a plush
fit resonator which I really love the feel of. I use
the heavier guage Irish tuning so I can switch back
and forth, and play this banjo out at sessions and
on recordings.
As a present for my 15th anniversary
with Cherish the Ladies, Joanie Madden gave me a Gold
Tone 6 string banjo, which is loads of fun!
About TheBanjoMan.com
TheBanjoMan.com is a great resource for all things
banjo. I particularly like the know it, hear it, play
it?? format, and find?? the history of the banjo extremely
informative and well done. It is very comforting to
know that the site is here, and the banjo in all its
many styles is elevated to the artistry it deserves.??
Well done, Pete! Thank you and keep up the great work!
"The
Kerry Mill" as played by Mary Coogan
Sheet Music - PDF
"The
Old Blackguard" as played by Mary Coogan
Sheet Music - PDF
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