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Bio

Radiant centerpiece of the group is Mary Lee Saldanha. She is headstrong and free-spirited and has a fresh perspective on original country music. She was born and raised in Brazil, but has lived in Berlin for years. Not places where you get American country music spoon-fed. And yet the colorful and exuberantly tattooed singer draws inspiration for her songs from the legacies of Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family, artists who provided the big bang for country music in the 1920s.

Mary Lee is accompanied by her husband Mauro Montezuma on drums, her son Patrick Saldanha on double bass, Irish-born star violinist Sorcha Thompson and the latest addition in the family is a special Pirate they adopted, Daren Stieglitz on Mandolin. Together they provide an infectious blend of authentic honky tonk, punk, Irish folk and bluegrass. Mary Lee is a born entertainer who wants only one thing: to entertain her audience. And whether that's five or five hundred people doesn't matter to her. Music is her passion and she wants to share that passion with whoever will hear it.

In Brazil about fifteen years ago, she made a name for herself with her then B-Side Brothers, a band with whom she not only toured her homeland but also toured European stages. That collaboration resulted in 2012 in Meet Mary Lee, a record that earned her the name Loretta Lynn of Brazil. The 2016 second album Fighting Demons is a personal document , in which the singer and songwriter candidly recounts her struggle with her inner demons. The album won recognition as the best country album of the year in Brazil.

Because the market for Mary Lee's quirky country music is bigger in Europe than in Brazil, the singer and her husband decided to move to Berlin, and since then, together with their son, they have been traveling the world like a true gypsy family, performing wherever they can.
Text by HARRY DE JONG

Music

New album coming soon…

Tour Dates

Reviews

  • Wonderful lovely human beings. Every time a overwhelming atmosphere and experience. If you have the chance to see & hear them live… don’t miss! 🥰🥰🥰

    Sebastian Taste

  • Beautiful souls, awesome musicians, true friends! Magic happens when they are on stage! Can’t wait to see you play somewhere on the road! Love you guys!

    Steve Carette

  • I met Mary Lee at a friends Birthday Party and heard her sing there the first time. I was impressed by her voice and her original songs, truly unique ,heartfelt music that is very difficult to put in a Box. It's honest and true. Mary Lee has what I miss a lot in many other contemporary Artists.

    Mark Twang

  • Whenever Mary Lee and the other band members enter stage, there is magic in the air. They caught my attention during the hard times of lockdown when they were doing live streams, for example playing at the "Roots in the Jar" online music festival. I fell in love right away. I've seen them a few times performing live on stage now, too, and it is always a blast. So much passion, so much creativity, so much love for music. They complement one another so well when playing together, it's all about family spirit, it's awesome. I cannot wait to see them again... and again... and again 🎶🖤

    Kitty Hunter

  • My daughter Kizzy 10 years and I have been big fans of Mary Lee family band for 3 years now. We drive many miles to see them. a real family bond. In fact, it's just our family. They play among the crowd and the kids love them.

    Dirk Nys

  • Mary Lee and her band, have their own unique style. Most of the music is their own, and once you have heard them you will want to repeat the experience. Brazilian music with a difference.

    Penelope Nayudu