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Artist
Brownie Mary
12+ albums
rockhard rock
about
Formed in 1993, Brownie Mary was one of Pittsburgh's hot acts during the 1990s. The core members Kelsey Friday and Rich Jacques met in Bethany college in West Virginia and started off doing covers at the local bars, eventually becoming inspired to pen their own tunes. The name Brownie Mary comes from a hospital volunteer named Mary Rathbun, who was arrested several times for handing out marijuana brownies to patients suffering from cancer and AIDS. Upon graduating they decided to take it seriously and move to Pittsburgh. There they linked up with bassist Mike Marks and drummer Steve Kaz and became regulars at local clubs like Graffiti, Nick's Fat City, Rosebud as well as performing non stop on the east coast college circuit. The band had a loyal following in Pittsburgh, and their fan base soon stretched from Columbus to New York to Sarasota. Brownie Mary won top honors at the 1994 Graffiti Rock Challenge. The Graffiti victory, taken in competition against 100 of the freshest East Coast groups, earned the band Graffiti's tag as the "Next Big Thing." They opened for Melissa Etheridge, Hootie and the Blowfish, The Dave Matthews Band, The Smithereens, The Crash Test Dummies, and Rusted Root. Brownie Mary also performed at 1995's Saxophone Club DNC fund-raiser before an audience that included then President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea. They even had a presence on MTV, popping up on the occasional reality show. Churning out catchy pop tunes, Brownie Mary looked like a
