Top 10 Maria Muldaur Songs

Feature Photo: Ed Yourdon, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Our top 10 Maria Muldaur Songs list presents the best Maria Muldaur Songs like “Midnight At The Oasis,” “I’m a Woman” ” Fever,” and many more. Born in Greenwich Village, New York City as Maria Grazia Rosa Domenica D’Amato on September 12, 1943, the vocal artist known as Maria Muldaur was part of the American Folk Music Revival during the first half of the 1960s. Her live and studio recordings include music from the genres of blues, country, folk, gospel, old-school jazz, and R&B. When she first began her career as a vocalist, she performed with members of the Even Dozen Jug Band before becoming the lead vocalist for Jim Kweskin & the Jug Band. Geoff Muldaur, the man who would become her husband, was one of the founding members of this group. On occasion, she also played the fiddle while she was with the group. This was during an era when she was involved with the Greenwich Village scene. She appeared in the 2005 documentary film, No Direction Home, presented by Martin Scorsese.

Geoff Muldaur

In 1968, Geoff and Maria Muldaur married and recorded their first studio album together, Pottery Pie. This is the album that featured a version of the single “Brazil.” “Aquarela do Brasil” became the theme song for the 1985 movie Brazil. After the couple finished recording this album, they moved to Woodstock, New York. In 1972, the duo recorded and released their second studio album, Sweet Potatoes. That same year, Geoff Muldaur also joined Paul Butterfield’s Better Days band. Shortly after he did that, he and Maira went their separate ways. The two have a daughter together, Jenni Muldaur. Like her parents, she also embarked on a musical career as a singer-songwriter.

Going Solo

Now as a solo artist, Maria Muldaur recorded and released “Midnight at the Oasis” in 1973. Not only did this serve as her biggest hit but it also became her signature song. In 1974, she developed a solid working relationship with the Grateful Dead that included serving as an opening act for some of their concerts. Before the 1970s was over, she became the group’s backing vocalist. At the same time, she collaborated with Peter Rowan of bluegrass genre fame and the two developed a strong enough friendship that she became the godmother to his daughter, Amanda Rowan.

Aside from working with other artists in concert, as well as live and studio recordings, Maria Muldaur still enjoyed a solid solo career as a singer. In 1980, she declared herself a Christian that soon saw the release of a live album, Gospel Nights. There was also a Christian-themed studio album, There Is A Love. She returned to recording and releasing secular music in 1983 with Sweet and Slow. The songs featured in that album were a collection of blues and jazz that was loaded with vintage-style nostalgia.

In 2005, Sweet Lovin’ Of Soul was a traditional blues album release that earned Maria Muldaur nominations for a Blues Music Award and a Grammy Award in their assigned categories. Her notable performances as a traditional blues singer have continually kept her in the spotlight as among the genre’s most respected performers. In 2019, she received the Trailblazer Award at the Americana Music Honors & Awards ceremony.

Top 10 Maria Muldaur Songs

#10 – My Tennessee Mountain Home

Dolly Parton was the first to record and release “My Tennessee Mountain Home” as a single in 1972. For her, the lyrical tale of her rural childhood as a girl growing up in Tennessee became a number fifteen hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. For Maria Muldaur, her 1973 coverage of this song for her debut album became a noteworthy favorite among the fans who couldn’t help but fall in love with her ability to do this song, as well as Dolly Parton, the level of justice it deserved.

# 9 – Trials, Troubles, Tribulations

After Maria Muldaur proclaimed herself a Christian, she recorded and released her first gospel album, Gospel Nights. From it, “Trials, Troubles, Tribulations” was one of the songs she performed in what was one of her best recordings as a solo artist. This 1959 bluegrass original from Estil C. Ball became a popular favorite after its release. With lyrics based on the Bible’s Revelations, when Muldaur sang her version of this song, it was as if she was bringing for her own list of trials, troubles, and tribulations that turned her into a Christian. While still with Geoff Muldaur, the two also recorded this song as one of the tracks on their album Pottery Pie. Unlike her performance in 1968, the 1980 version was considerably jazzier after she shared a piece of her history.

#8 – Well, Well, Well (featuring Mavis Staples)

“Well, Well, Well,” a Bob Dylan original, was a song an inspired Maria Muldaur recorded after talking to him about the death of Jerry Garcia. For Bob Dylan, this was a 1985 song he sketched and recorded before Danny O’Keefe added lyrics to it twelve years later. Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama then recorded the song. The lyrics behind O’Keefe came when he was deeply involved as an environmentalist. It’s why it’s reflected so heavily as a soul-searching number. Muldaur’s 1996 performance of “Well, Well, Well” from her Fanning the Flames album has a hint of smoke that’s made it an awesome song worth listening to. Fans of Mavis Staples will also recognize her vocal talent in what was a collaborative number between two fantastic singers.

#7 – Everybody Cryin’ Mercy

From the 1995 album, Jazzabelle, “Everybody Cryin’ Mercy” was an incredibly powerful, bluesy song performed by Maria Muldaur. If there is that one tune that takes you where you need to go as a soul-searching listener, this is it. This Mose Allison original was first released in 1968 from his album, I’ve Been Doin’ Some Thinkin’, one of many belonging to the artist’s credit. Muldaur’s appeal as a singer uses her vocal talent to bring home down-to-earth songs written by other artists and breathe new life into them in a feat that may not be as common as it seems. While she may not be known for a flurry of charted singles, she is known for delivering music that earns its place as cult classics in its own right.

#6 – Wedding Song

“Wedding Song” was one of Bob Dylan’s original love songs that Maria Muldaur made her own as part of her 2006 album, Heart of Mine: Love Songs of Bob Dylan. Muldaur’s voice was at its best, delivering sweet, poetic justice to Dylan’s songwriting genius. Dylan’s 1974 original came from his album, Planet Waves, as an incredibly beautiful love ballad that had all the right stuff to make it a perfect wedding song. Although it may not have been a hit for the music charts, it’s definitely a hit among fans who have a flair for the romantic. Some fans even argue Muldaur’s version was even better than Dylan’s.

#5 – Heart of Mine

Bob Dylan’s “Heart of Mine” was a song that first appeared on his 1981 album, Shot of Love. As a thought-provoking balladeer and one of Maria Muldaur’s closest associates during the Greenwich Village scene days, Dylan’s performance of this song served as a key source of inspiration for the woman. Muldaur’s 2006 version was a heart-wrencher, perhaps even amplifying the genius behind Dylan’s songwriting talent and why so many artists continue to look up to him as one of the finest talents the music industry has ever witnessed. “Heart of Mine” served as the title track of an album that was loaded with Bob Dylan’s love songs as a tribute to an artist who had such a heavy influence on Muldaur.

#4 – Separation Blues (with Bonnie Raitt)

“Separation Blues” was a Sippie Wallace original that was covered by a long list of artists, including Jim Kweskin & the Jug Band, while Muldaur was part of the band during the late 1960s. She and Bonnie Raitt have been devout fans of the legendary blues singer and collaborated to perform this song for Muldaur’s 2007 album, Naughty, Bawdy & Blue. This bluesy advice shared by the women to get out of a bad relationship was just as entertaining to listen to as Wallace’s own legendary performance.

#3 – Fever

“Fever,” along with the album, A Woman Alone with the Blues, was Maria Muldaur’s musical tribute to Peggy Lee. When she was assigned to do a special project as a songwriter, it was shortly after Lee passed away on January 21, 2002. In a live performance at New York City’s Carnegie Hall that was produced by Richard Barone, Muldaur’s performance of this song as an enchanting chanteuse seemed to make this song her own. For Muldaur, Peggy Lee’s 1958 version of “Fever” was one of her personal all-time favorites.

“Fever” debuted as a single in 1956 by Little Willie John and became a number-one hit for him on what is known now as the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. For Lee, her version of it became a number eight hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also became her signature song and has since been covered by a flurry of artists from various genres. Muldaur’s live version of this song was nothing short of spectacular. Even as a recording on the 1974 album, Waitress in a Donut Shop, Muldaur’s performance is definitely worth the listen.

#2 – I’m a Woman

“I’m a Woman” was a song Maria Muldaur recorded for her second studio album, Waitress in a Donut Shop. This 1962 Christine Kittrell original was also recorded and released by Peggy Lee the same year. Although this song was featured on the B-side to her classic hit, “Fever,” it struck such a powerful chord with Muldaur that she couldn’t get enough of it. Inspired, she recorded her own version of this song, first while she was a Jim Kweskin’s Jug Band member, then again in 1974 as a solo artist. Her solo version peaked as high as number twelve on the US Billboard Hot 100 and has joined the ranks as one of her signature songs as a performer.

#1 – Midnight at the Oasis

Released on her self-titled debut album, “Midnight at the Oasis,” became Maria Muldaur’s first hit single as a solo artist. Released in 1973, it became a number six hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. On the UK Singles Chart, it peaked at number twenty-one, and it was a number two hit in Canada. Written by David Nichtern, “Midnight at the Oasis” earned a nomination as Song of the Year at the 1975 Grammy Awards. The album Maria Muldaur, was nominated for Record of the Year. Although she didn’t win in either category, this doesn’t diminish the fact this was her best work as a solo artist. At one point, she was criticized for this song’s suggestive content as an evocative fantasy-style love affair. The solo guitar performance of Amos Garrett was noted as one of the highlights of this song, making it an all-time classic.