Maria Muldaur - Waitress In A Donut Shop (1974)

Maria Muldaur is an American singer.

Maria Muldaur's debut album hade given her a hit single with "Midnight At The Oasis" in 1973. Her second album was released the next year, and saw her present another delightful collection of rootsy American music, full of lots of bluesy and jazzy flavours. The songs she chose to cover included numbers by Henry Glover, Skip James, Clarence Ashley, Fats Waller and Allen Toussaint. Musicians appearing on the album included  guitarists Amos Garrett, Elvin Bishop, David Lindley and Lowell George, drummer Jim Gordon, bassist John Kahn, keyboardists Dr John, James Booker, Paul Harris and Spooner Oldham, harmonica man Paul Butterfield and mandolin virtuoso David Grisman (plus many others).

The album gave her another hit, as her cover of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller's "I'm A Woman" (originally a hit for Peggy Lee in 1962) got to #12 on the singles chart. This was actually the second time she had recorded this song, as she sang it whilst with Jim Kweskin's Jug Band back in the 60s.

Maria Muldaur (1973) <|> Sweet Harmony (1976)
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Maria Muldaur - Maria Muldaur (1973)

Maria Muldaur is an American singer.

Maria D'Amato was born in New York City in 1943. During the 60s she was part of the Greenwich Village Folk Scene, being a member of both the Even Dozen Jug Band and Jim Kweskin's Jug Band. It was as a member of the latter that she met Geoff Muldaur, and the two of them married. By 1970 they had moved to Woodstock, and there they recorded two albums together as a duo. They then joined a new group put together by Paul Butterfield, but before the release of Better Days' debut album the Muldaurs had split up. Geoff stayed with Better Days, whilst Maria began a solo career. 

Her debut album was released in 1973, and it followed the framework the two duo albums had set up - a quirky and eclectic mix of American roots music styles, with flavours of blues, country, New Orleans jazz and vaudeville, all with a clean production style that gave it a good dose of pop appeal. The songs were all covers, and included numbers by Dolly Parton, Jimmie Rodgers, Kate McGarrigle and Dr John. The album featured a huge number of backing musicians, among them Ry Cooder, Clarence White, David Grisman, Jim Keltner, Chris Ethridge, Jim Dickinson, Dr John, Amos Garrett, Klaus Voormann, Bill Keith, David Lindley, Spooner Oldham and Jim Gordon.

The album was a big success, thanks to one song - David Nichtern's "Midnight At The Oasis" was a surprise hit, and got to #6. It remains today by far her best-known song.

|> Waitress In A Donut Shop (1974)
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