Mary James, more commonly known as “Mean Mary” will take the stage at Ca d’Zan House Concerts in Cambridge, IL on Friday, July 22. There will be a potluck dinner at 6 p.m. with music starting at 7 p.m. and is open to all ages. A $10-20 donation at the door is suggested and the concert will be outdoors, weather permitting. The public is asked to bring lawn chairs and/or blankets. In case of rain, the concert will be moved to the Bishop Hill Creative Commons, located at 309 N. Bishop Hill Street in Bishop Hill.

She plays 11 instruments, including banjo, fiddle and guitar. Her musical storytelling combines the styles of bluegrass, Romani jazz, folk and country. She also is a novelist, producer, and YouTube personality who has millions of views online.

After recording her first original song at age 6, “Mean Mary from Alabam,” the song went public and the Alabama/Florida native got the nickname “Mean Mary” by the press. Now working out of Nashville, Mean Mary’s latest album and fifth solo release is called “Blazing.” She tours extensively throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe and has guested on many BBC radio shows.

Music is important to Mean Mary’s life, but it was almost taken away from her. In her mid-teens, James was in a car accident that paralyzed her right vocal cord. It was only after extensive rehabilitation that she was able to sing again.

“I was in California working in the movie industry, and I’d kind of pushed the music to the side, because it felt like old news. After the accident, I realized how important music was to me and what a blessing it is to be able to make music and sing. And that completely changed my outlook on what I’d been doing my whole life. It also made me appreciate the fact that I played instruments. It was very glamorous to be out front and sing, especially as a young girl. And it was only when I couldn’t sing that I realized that I could still play music. I still had the opportunity to make music even if my vocal cord never got better,” she says.

For more information on the concert, click here. Tickets are available by clicking here.