MARY JANE

Mary Jane biography
MARY JANE were formed in late autumn 1993 from a group of Southampton University students, mostly novice musicians whose prior experience consisted of short-lived THE MAGIC CAT and scattered other appearances. Despite several lineup changes the group managed a record deal with the German label September Gurls on the strength of demos consisting of the traditional tune "She Moved Thro' the Fair", "Lagan Love" and the original "The Snow", penned by a friend of the band.

Founding member Peter Miln's departure led to an unplanned hiatus for the band, during which Jo Quinn and Paul Alan Taylor recorded a studio album under the name ZANEY JANEY and briefly joined the heavy blues-rock band ULTIMATE BLUE DAY, though MARY JANE continued to perform live and eventually released the EP 'Isle of Wight' and LP 'The Gates of Silent Memory' with yet another lineup. Nick Davies from their ULTIMATE BLUE DAY period returned in time to record with the band on their third studio album 'Tacit'. Three more albums followed in the ensuing years with continued personnel changes including an ongoing relationship with ARLEN vocalist Lucy Rutherford.

The band's most recent releases include the studio album 'Eve' in 2010 and a compilation titled 'Brigit's Daughter', both on the Talking Elephants label. The band also continues to perform live, primarily around the Southampton and Portsmouth areas.

>> Bio by Bob Moore (aka ClemofNazareth) <<