Mary Gauthier

Mary Veronica Gauthier ( GOH-shay; born March 11, 1962) is a Grammy-nominated American folk singer-songwriter and author, whose songs have been recorded by performers including Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Kathy Mattea, Vince Gill, Boy George, Jimmy Buffett, Bettye Lavette, Candi Staton, and Amy Helm. Her songs often deal with marginalization, informed by her experience of adoption, addiction and recovery, and growing up gay in the deep south. Her work demonstrates an "ability to transform her own trauma into a purposeful and communal narrative", such as the lyric "we could all use, a little mercy, now", from her song "Mercy Now". Her Grammy nominated 2018 album Rifles & Rosary Beads, co-written with military veterans and their families, has been hailed as a landmark achievement.