< >Mary Youngblood
Sometimes the wind whispers and sometimes the wind howls. When GRAMMY winner Mary Youngblood lets the wind flow through her Native American flutes the result is always one of beauty and joy. Inspired by the wisdom of nature, Mary writes: "The trees have given a voice to me, the voice that sings to you now." Her eclectic musical style evokes feelings of freedom, and gratitude for the blessings of life, our Dance with the Wind.
Ancestry: Native American
Language: English
Genre: Acoustic, Folk
Albums
Awards, Nominations & Submissions
| 2007 | Best Folk / Acoustic CD | Dance With The Wind | Winner |
Biography
Sometimes the wind whispers and sometimes the wind howls. When GRAMMY winner Mary Youngblood lets the wind flow through her Native American flutes the result is always one of beauty and joy. Inspired by the wisdom of nature, Mary writes: "The trees have given a voice to me, the voice that sings to you now." Her eclectic musical style evokes feelings of freedom, and gratitude for the blessings of life, our Dance with the Wind.
Mary Youngblood is the premiere female Native American flute player in the country. Each record she has released has been bestowed with the top honors in the genre. She consistently receives outstanding critical acclaim and her catalog has sold over 100,000 units. With the 2007 GRAMMY Award for Dance with the Wind, Mary stakes her claim as the number one star of Native American music.
Bending tradition, Mary Youngblood is a modern American Indian woman of one half Aleut (Alaskan) and one half Seminole (Floridian) descent. Youngblood is often touted as the first Native American female to professionally record the Native flute. Verifying her talent and mastery of this ancient instrument traditionally played only by men, she was the first woman to win the Flutist of the Year award in both 1999 and 2000. Also in year 2000, she was honored with the Best Female Artist award at the Native American Music Awards (NAMMYS).
Youngblood has a lifetime of musicianship behind her. She started with piano lessons at age six, followed by violin, classical flute and guitar. As an adult, when Youngblood received her first wooden Native flute, she was compelled to pursue the mastery of this instrument so tied to her own heritage. Now years later with five unique and accomplished albums under her belt, Youngblood has a collection of over 125 hand carved Native flutes and plays a wide variety of them on her recordings. Each of her flutes is masterfully crafted from different types of wood, bringing a unique personality and texture to each song.
Grammy NOMINEE 2005 - FEED THE FIRE
Feed the Fire follows Youngblood's GRAMMY Award Winning Album, Beneath the Raven Moon and offers stellar performances on Native American flute with signature melodies again framed in captivating arrangements spanning a variety of musical styles. Mary is heard for the first time performing on piano and alto flute, and offers sweet vocals with original lyrics on two songs. With special guest appearances by Ian Anderson (of Jethro Tull), Bill Miller, and Joanne Shenandoah, Feed the Fire is full of energy, warmth, and passion.
Grammy Winner 2003 - BENEATH THE RAVEN MOON
"Absolutely enchanting! On Beneath the Raven Moon, Youngblood beautifully demonstrates the talent that earned her numerous awards." -Billboard Magazine
BENEATH THE RAVEN MOON can be considered a poetic concept album. The title of each track is a line from a poem written by Youngblood. Thematically, this album is about the human condition with its growth, interaction and journeys, and showcases Youngblood's strong voice harmonizing along with her many flutes. Further instrumentation is arranged by award winning producer Tom Wasinger who has worked on each of Youngblood's four albums. Beneath the Raven Moon explores Youngblood's exemplary flute playing with other American music styles including classical and blues, two of Youngblood's favorite genres.
"In addition to the haunting sounds of various handcrafted wooden flutes, the listener can occasionally hear the drip of water in the cavern, which adds a surreal you-are-there feeling." -Monterey County Herald News
Each of Youngblood's five recordings differs stylistically. Her debut, THE OFFERING, for which she won Flutist of the Year in 1999 from the Native American Music Awards, is a beautiful solo flute recording that was recorded live in the huge underground chamber of the Moaning Cavern in California. These natural acoustics lend an amazing echo and organic quality to the distinctly memorable melodies that Youngblood creates with her flutes.
"Mary Youngblood brings a fresh perspective to original melodies." -Dirty Linen Magazine
HEART OF THE WORLD found Youngblood weaving her flute melodies with the lush accompaniment of guitar, percussion and the exquisite voice of Joanne Shenandoah. The impetus for this recording is the U'wa people of the Rainforest in the Columbian Andes who are desperately struggling to save their land and their lives from destruction by oil companies. Heart of the World is the name the U'wa have given their native land. Proceeds from each sale of this album benefit their resistance struggle.
Heart of the World Winner of numerous awards and accolades including:
Best Native American Recording Association for Independent Music INDIE Award - 2000
NAV Radio Award - 2000
Best New age Album Amazon.com - 1999
Best Female Artist & Flutist of the Year NAMMY Award - 2000
When Youngblood performs it takes only a moment to acknowledge the profound spirituality of the sacred Native American flute and its historical courtship and wooing attributes. Her haunting music is much more than a song-it's liquid poetry, a prayer. Mary Youngblood takes little credit for the intense emotions people feel when they listen to her music. "I am only a vessel between Creator and this instrument. As a sculptor would tell you, the clay has a spirit of its own and decides what it will become; so it is with the flute. These songs came from those who walked before me."
