Mary Johnson feels like one lucky songwriter. She hails from Tennessee, but she never thought about Nashville when she first picked up the guitar. When she started strumming along to the poetry she'd been writing during class since the eighth grade, she never considered how the blistering sounds of honky-tonk and the currents of country and bluegrass would find their way into the heartbeat of her songs. She never considered how the liberal, raucous sermons of her preacher dad, a mischievous great-aunt with heartthrob stories, a break-up in the midst of a record-breaking ice storm, or a jailhouse card game would form the lyrics behind the music she plays today. What started out as a test of performing original songs to audiences for over ten years, often accompanied by the velvety harmonies of longtime friend Miriam Chicurel, became a passion. She recorded her first album, Says the Water, in 2000 after winning recording time from Audio Media Group of Knoxville, TN in a songwriter showdown (check out www.maryjohnsonmusic.com).

Then the best thing yet happened. A band was formed. When Mary moved to the musical hotbed of Carrboro, North Carolina, she met some friends who also happen to be excellent musicians. Mary met drummer and Jersey native Kate DeMayo in the secretarial pool and when they discovered their respective musical talents, they had an idea. They chipped in their dollars with fiddler Evan Overton and Miriam and rented rehearsal space in town. Some of the old songs began to grow into new britches, taking on new dimensions. Pawnshop Ruby was begun. Joe Romeo of highly-praised local band Fake Swedish joined with lead guitar and Dave Haugen brought his fancy bass works into the picture. It’s a puzzle completed.

With the endless support of old friends and family, new fans, and the technical guidance of those who know all that important stuff that keeps the wheels turning, Pawnshop Ruby continues to create and perform. They will be entertaining soon at a venue near you.

They would also like to thank Miriam, Evan, and Dr. Enuf.

p.s.
Ruby was Mary’s first guitar, who mysteriously disappeared many years ago and who waits today in a pawnshop somewhere, waiting to be found and played.