Wanderlust and musical devotion have made Mary Fagan a true original. Backing herself on guitar or piano, she floats seamlessly from jazz to folk, blues, and rock - all with a voice that was forged in the blues then dipped in velvet. Her song choices range from Duke Ellington to The Grateful Dead, delivered with a winsome style that could give a grey sky the blues.
 

Music has always been part of Fagan's life. She grew up in a home where both parents and siblings played piano. She took lessons from a neighboring nun, and went on to play flute in concert band and trombone in marching band. At the University of New Hampshire — where she earned degrees in both Math and Political Science — she picked up the guitar, and never looked back.
 

Guitar in hand, she's traveled most of the US and played overseas in Ireland, China, and Japan. She's lived in New York, New Hampshire, Colorado, California, North Carolina, Austin, Texas, and New Orleans, soaking up musical styles and flavors every step of the way. The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, and Fats Waller have been major touchstones, alongside Texas country and western swing from Ray Price and Bob Wills, North Carolina bluegrass, the folk music of her mother's kitchen, and the wide-open air of the Colorado mountains.
 

These days, home base is New Hampshire and is busy playing solo and with various groups. In the Honey Bees Band, Fagan joins saxophonist/flutist Greg Mostovoy, guitarist Chris O'Neill, upright bassist Jock Irvine and drummer PJ Donahue to groove on Americana, 1930s jazz, western swing, and originals — buzzing around the roots of American music. The "Hive" performs in configurations from duo to trio all the way up to eight pieces with a full horn section. She also sings jazz in various small group settings, with the State Street Combo, and with the 18-piece Tall Granite Big Band.

"...Billy Holiday in bell bottoms..."
                                           ~ Summit Daily News

"...Her voice will knock you off your chair!..."
                                           ~ Charlotte Observer

"...She knows more chords than I do!..." *
        ~ Redd Volkaert ~ Grammy Winner,  Master of the Telecaster
      *Honestly,  Redd does say this, but it's not true!