Biography

Mary Ray Elias was a tiny woman with a huge heart.  Creating music and art were the driving passions of her life.  A graduate of the Minnesota Institute of Art in Fine Arts, she excelled in many endeavors:  as a visual artist, a singer, a multi-instrumentalist, a teacher, and an award-winning songwriter and gymnast.  

She held a deep passion for jazz, blues, and rock music. Something in these raw, roots sounds drew her and inspired her not only to play and sing but also to paint. Much of her original music described human hardship and knowing what it was like to be down and out – she was no stranger to adversity.  But she was also an optimist, always finding a ray of hope and expressing that hope out in the world. She gravitated towards and had a deep love for other musicians who authentically expressed these feelings.  

Mary chose to paint many of the musical icons of the times. Her paintings communicate a beautiful intensity or a radiant joy in each musician’s face. She said of herself – “I love people, and I love faces”, and her heart and humanity still shine through every portrait. She had an astounding gift for expressing a person's essence visually. Her series of musician portraits is a testament to both their contribution to our collective musical heritage and to her talent in capturing their souls on canvas.

VISUAL ART

Mary painted mostly in pastels or oils. She sometimes used unusual mediums like makeup, crayons, or chalk. In addition to her portraits, you could find her art on surfaces such as small curio boxes, Christmas ornaments, and denim or leather jackets.  Whatever the medium, her art was always delightful.  

Mary loved to work in oils because she could ruminate on her progress; her process was malleable.  She often took several months to finish a painting.  Because the medium dried so slowly, after reviewing what she had painted the previous day, she could change it the next.  But sometimes, she would have to wait for the paint to dry, carefully razor off the paint buildup, then repaint until she was happy with the result. You might think a work was never finished, but at some point Mary was able to let her paintings go, considering them complete. 

She mostly preferred to paint a subject’s likeness after they passed away. When a friend suggested she paint Prince, Mary said, “but he is not dead yet”! – once he passed on, Mary immediately got to work on his portrait. 

She usually painted from photos and was always on the lookout for one she thought reflected her subject’s personality.  Sometimes she would blend two or more photos as inspiration for her work.  

She always wanted to improve on reality, a practice many artists embrace.  In the end, her portraits of children are among her best, as the purity and perfection of youth shine through them.  

 The female nude form has fascinated visual artists throughout time. The artist in Mary was no exception. Because of the simplicity of each drawing, we see her keen ability to create a true-to-life image with just a few carefully placed lines.  She once mentioned that there is a correlation between the curvature of a female derriere and a horse’s haunches.  In one of her oil paintings of a nude woman standing next to a horse, this is readily apparent.  

Growing up, the Elias house was popular as there were nine siblings.  After visiting, some neighbor kids ran home and said, “Mom, they have a lot of pictures of naked women over there.”  Several of Mary’s sisters are also excellent visual artists who may have contributed to the debauchery.  

Her animal paintings are alive with movement.  She was especially fond of horses quietly grazing or galloping over the countryside.  Mary often sang the Stones' song “Wild Horses” at gigs.  Did she also sing when drawing?  Perhaps so.  Her original song, “Palominos in the Blue Sky,” brings out her love for these powerful beasts.  Whether horse, elephant, cheetah, or dog - her animal paintings are whimsical yet realistic expressions of her love for all of God’s creatures.  

MUSIC

Mary sang many hits by other singers – her extensive song list reflected the most popular rock, blues, and ballads of the times.  She could rock out on ZZ Top’s A Fool for Your Stockings, angst on Johnny Cash’s version of the NIN song Hurt, and often sang the tender ballad Lift Up Your Glass, her father’s favorite. 

She learned her craft by studying famous songwriters but did not seek to emulate them.  She wanted her compositions to reflect her own style.  She was a prolific singer/songwriter in her own right.  She composed songs for voice and guitar on a wide variety of topics. Her songs were often biographical, about her life or the lives of people she encountered day to day. The stories might be stark reality or fun and irreverent. These tales might go unnoticed by the layperson, but Mary saw their hunger, pain, struggle, or triumph and elevated it to song.  If you listen to Caroline or Rudy, you know these souls intimately.  Here are samples:

* Her award-winning song Psycho Bitch (co-written with friends Jolie Nelson and Kara Erickson) is like an anthem; it is her most notorious song.  She often performed it as the last song of the night, with the audience enthusiastically singing along.      

* Her song Human Kindness is a beautiful and tender testament of her need to send and receive kindness and her belief that it was the only way to be in this world.  

* The song Payne and Agony ends with the familiar theme of Hope.  In this case, the corner of Payne and Hope is an intersection in St. Paul.  

* Been Around the Block was written on an airplane, leaving MN to go back to LA.  She said it was getting harder and harder to say goodbye to home and returned to the Twin Cities permanently in 1998.  

* The song Fly was an expression of Mary’s dreams.  She would often experience flying dreams.  She awoke happy to have been sailing over the countryside, free as a bird, gently soaring.

Her CD “Gory Glory” was produced by Robyn Lee, a local musician who once performed on tour with Olivia Newton-John. There are two additional unpublished limited edition CDs of her songs and a Cassidy CD.  All are out of print.

Songwriting was like therapy for Mary, and she always had a notebook to scribble in.  She was often the only one who could interpret her notes, and occasionally, even s could not remember her intent.  She loved the task of transposing a song from one key to another, note by note, chord by chord.  She often found alternate chord phrasings that were interesting and pleasing to the ear, more so because they were unexpected.   

Mary’s first band after graduating high school in the late ’60s was a group called “Cassidy” led by Don Strand.  Don was her first boyfriend.  He passed away recently, and she was able to attend his memorial service.  Mary resurrected his song Anna and sang it as a tribute.  Cassidy created one CD; their music is complex, intricate, and upbeat.  They opened for national acts like Bonnie Raitt and Billy Joel.  Members lived on a farm/commune outside the Twin Cities for several years.  Mary sang, played several instruments, and performed housekeeping tasks for the commune - she was the girl singer, right?  Feminism was in its infancy at the time.

Mary traveled across America on the college circuit for over 20 years - Los Angeles, Key West, Portland, Oregon, and back home to the Twin Cities.   She said that any gig was like playing Carnegie Hall!  She played solo or with a variety of bands.  When playing flute in live performance, her improvisational blues riffs were way cool, and her connection with other musicians was right in the groove.  And she could wail on that sax. 

When Mary had a gig, she was a positive light – encouraging and engaging.  If she saw you twice, she was your friend.  When hosting an open mic, she welcomed all levels of players and appreciated their efforts.  She helped people feel good about themselves. She often invited other musicians to “sit in” and perform a few numbers.  Many people followed her because her generous spirit filled every room she entered. 

She took great pride in being well put together at her gigs, always an attractive, winsome little sprite.  She often fell in love with the lead guitar player, but only if he was an exceptionally good musician.  All the guys absolutely adored her and were drawn to her, so she had to develop skills to finesse these situations.  Mary worked out routinely to keep in shape.  She often ran up 17 flights of stairs in her apartment high rise.  She won “Best All Around” at the National Senior Olympics at age 52.  What an accomplishment!  

In her autumn years, her main gig, lasting over 20 years, was at the Minnesota Music Cafe (MMC).  A print of her oil portrait of Willie Murphy hangs on their illustrious wall.  On Thursday or Friday nights, 5 to 7, Mary and her band, The Young Relics, played weekly, inside in winter and outside on the patio in summer.  She loved warm weather, and patios were among her favorite places to play - Mary was a true child of nature.   The Young Relics membership shifted over the years.  In their current configuration, they continue to play at Thursday Happy Hour once a month at MMC. Mary’s partner Larry still plays bass with them. 

Mary had two favorite mantras.  One was the irreverent “Shit, Fuck, Piss”!  As she tells the story, one sister would say shit, the next fuck, and the last piss.  Mary combined the words and took them as her own.  The other was when she flashed the peace sign and said, “Peace, Love, Dove”!

To Mary, as you cross that Rainbow Bridge, “Peace, Love Dove, girl, ya done good…”