Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Mary Bridget Davies

Mary Bridget Davies is a dynamic talent who’s captivated the stage with her acting, dancing, and singing prowess, earning her a Tony nomination for her lead role in A Night with Janis Joplin on Broadway. This March, she pays tribute to the legendary songwriter Jerry Ragovoy, interpreting his songbook like only she can. Dedicated to her sister, who tragically took her own life, Stay With Me: The Reimagined Songs of Jerry Ragovoy features a standout assortment of unreleased material like “Master of Disguise,” “The Right of Way,” and classics like “Getting in My Way.” Pop Culturalist spoke with Mary Bridget ahead of the release to learn more!

Career

PC: You’re an actress, dancer, and singer. How did you discover your passion for the arts? Is there one that you naturally gravitate towards?
Mary Bridget: It all started with dance when I was a child. There’s actually a recording of it. I was about three years old and doing a ballet recital, and I had no idea what I was doing. At one point, I tripped and fell, and people started laughing. But in that moment, you could see in my face, I was like, “Oh, there’s something to this.” Then I started hamming it up. Our number was only thirty seconds, and when it was over, all the little girls ran off. I stood there with my hands folded on my tutu like, “You’re welcome.” Everybody started clapping even harder. I took the applause in for five or ten more seconds, which is five hundred years to a little kid. Then I turned away and ran, came back and waved, and then joined my class. You could hear my parents say, “Oh boy.” Behind the camera, they’re like, “That’s what she does. That’s who she’s going to be.”

It all started with dance. There were dance competitions that had open categories where you could do other things. I was like, “Why don’t I sing a song?” They were like, “Okay, sure.” I took first place and top honors across the board. All the dance moms and studio owners were fuming, “This is a dance competition!” They were like, “Sorry, she was the most entertaining thing we saw all day.” So that sparked the two.

As I got into high school, there was a wonderful theater program called On Stage Crafters, and that’s when I got into acting. Over the summers, there was Beck Center for the Arts in Cleveland, which has grown leaps and bounds as a professional regional theater. They had their children’s workshops and their teen productions. I got to be a props mistress in a murder mystery called Something’s Afoot. The stairs collapsed, and I had to make phones ring and do all this. So I’ve been in all the different areas, and I love it. I love the suspended animation and the wonder of performing and what you give people when they’re paying attention to you and the play for two and a half hours or for my set for ninety minutes with my band.

PC: You’ve had tons of success already throughout your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
Mary Bridget: When I was starting out as an actor, I auditioned for an improv company. I was the third woman they hired! I was only nineteen at the time, and that made me feel pretty amazing because that’s you. You’re nothing without an audience. It all comes from the truth. You have to be able to hold a room like that and be in different scenes. Being able to do that at nineteen blew me away. Plus, we got to go to the Chicago Improv Olympics and perform. I also got to take Second City classes and study under Avery Schreiber. These are people I had seen on TV, and now I was working with them.

But then, I had this nagging on my shoulder: “But what about singing though? You’re a singer after all.” Singing meant the most to me in my soul. I always had thoughts in the back of my mind like what if someone said, “You’re alright. You’re not that great.” It would have crushed me because that was my ace in the hole. That would have hurt so much.

After improv, I worked at UPS from 3 a.m. to 9 a.m., loading packing cars and trying to make money. I was living alone, and I had to make sure I could pay rent because I was like, “Screw roommates. I don’t like people.” [laughs] My older sisters and brother are like ten, eleven, twelve years older than me. I’m used to being alone and having my space. I was doing that, and then I started doing jam nights. I went to my parents because my dad was a musician and my mom was the ultimate music appreciator. I’m like, “What if I go to a blues jam?” They were like, “We’ve been waiting to hear you say that our whole lives since you were born.” They took me to one, and we waited till the very end, just in case I sucked. They waited. It started at 9 p.m., and it was over at 1 a.m. At 12:45 a.m., I got up and sung. The guy who backed me just happened to be looking for a new front person. Their lead singer, who’s actually a great friend of mine, Jesse Barnes, was leaving to go to Loyola College. So that was the first band I was ever in. We still play together. The guitarist from my first band, Ben Nieves, is on the Stay With Me album. He’s actually in my current band now.

Stay With Me: The Reimagined Songs of Jerry Ragovoy

PC: That’s the perfect segue. Tell us about your new album Stay With Me.
Mary Bridget: Jerry Ragovoy was an exceptional artist and writer who, under the pen name Norman Meade, wrote “Time Is On My Side” for the Rolling Stones. You know, just a tiny little hit record. [laughs] He actually contributed a lot to Janis Joplin’s catalog—songs like “Piece of My Heart,” “Cry Baby,” “Try (Just a Little Bit Harder),” and “Get It While You Can.” She was his type of artist. He’s a very soulful writer. Dionne Warwick was one of his bigger artists too. She really knew how to interpret his music. When I met his widow Beverly Ragovoy while on Broadway, she came on as a producer, and we hit it off. Recently, she said to me, “You know Rag had so much extra music that’s never seen the light of day. It’s in a lot of different forms: some demos and some finished.” There are some recordings where he’s playing these cool lines, and I’m listening to his genius and brain at work. It’s amazing. Honestly, there’s enough material to make four albums! I asked her if we could modernize a few and she said, “You can do whatever you need to do. I’m just proud to have Rag’s stuff out there. He would trust you as being the interpreter.” It was a wonderful compliment and extraordinarily terrifying at the same time—like what if I fail?

So we went into recording and had it done in a week, which is unheard of. Then we had a listening party at the Hit Factory and Paul Shaffer was there. There were so many people that I’d seen on TV when I was little. I was like, “What? You’re here to hear my album?” Everyone had great input and compliments, and that got me really excited about the whole thing. That was back in September. Unfortunately, a week later, my sister attempted suicide. She tried to hang herself. She survived that but had a massive heart attack. When they knew that she didn’t have any brain function, they decided to donate her organs, which I thought was great. She was gone a week later. There’s a song on the record, “Master of Disguise,” that anyone can relate to: “No one knows. I’m not what I seem. I hide behind a smile, and I say things I don’t mean. With sleight of hand, I’ve been in the act, and I cleverly conceal the loneliness inside.” We all wear some type of mask when we leave the house. We’re not all confident. Not everybody is that happy. It’s only to certain degrees.

I knew for the music video I wanted to have this treatment of a beautiful dining room with a lovely dinner party. There’s this beautiful woman wearing pearls who’s serving this beautiful meal. As the song goes on, she walks into the kitchen and the whole damn thing’s on fire because that’s what it’s like inside. My sister had struggled with depression our whole lives. It’s come in waves. Sometimes it gets better, sometimes it gets worse. She had a different cocktail of medicines, and then a couple of unfortunate things happened. Her ex-husband died unexpectedly. She was this insane athlete. Like I said earlier, she was ten years older than me, and when I got to high school, all of her records were still there. Nobody could beat her. She was beautiful, funny, sweet, and the nicest person. There are so many different levels to depression.

My mom called me, and it was the opening night of our fall tour. I was like, “I have to go home. This is far more important than any job.” Our entire hometown showed up. Everywhere she went, she made a friend. It was so sad, but so beautiful at the same time. On one hand you’re like, “You weren’t alone. You should have talked to someone.” But it’s temporary madness. You’re so frustrated with that voice in your head or those thoughts or feelings, and you just want to forget it. Then boom: one second that you’ll never get back.

We’re Catholic. We were like, “Great. She’s not going to get a service. That’s a cardinal sin.” But they said, “We know Christine. We love Christine. This is temporary madness. She’s absolutely welcomed here.” I was like, “Whoa, okay.” I was like, “This is something that needs to be talked about.” Back in the day, it was dad left the car running in the garage too long. Oops. It’s always everybody covering up for something. Mental health is like some dirty secret. It shouldn’t be.

PC: We’re so sorry for your loss.
Mary: Thank you.

PC: You recorded this album during a very difficult time for you. Was the process therapeutic?
Mary Bridget: Absolutely. There’s nothing like being in the studio or being around your friends and creating. Like I said, ever since I was three, my entire family has had to deal with the fact that I’m the gypsy musician person. I knew I wanted to take this opportunity to raise awareness about suicide, mental health, empowerment, and dedicate it to my sister. I can’t erect a statue. I can’t personally fund an endowment in her name. I knew I could do it with my voice, and hopefully, it’ll help somebody else down the line. That also made it feel so much more important. I mean it’s always important, but it wasn’t as fun because of the circumstances.

PC: If you had to pick one song off the album that best encompasses you as an artist, what would it be and why?
Mary Bridget: This might change, but at this very moment, I would say “As Long as I Have You.” It’s a real upbeat, gritty soul tune. It’s in the vein of Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings or Amy Winehouse. I was a blues and soul singer before the whole Janis Joplin thing started. As soon as I heard it, I told my manager, “Don’t touch that one. She’s perfect. We’re taking her right now.” It’s the most reflective of my sincere personality and performance style. The adrenaline gets you going. Ballads are great, but I like to get down.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Mary Bridget: I would say Ice Cube. I don’t think that my fans know that I’m ridiculously down with West Coast gangsta rap from the ’90s because I was a kid when it came out and it’s modern-day blues—epic storytelling really.

PC: First album you bought?
Mary Bridget: Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Blood Sugar Sex Magik

PC: First concert you attended?
Mary Bridget: Michael Jackson, Bad World Tour, when I was a little kid.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Mary Bridget: Van Morrison. I’m going to be awful and say greatest hits because I was a baby, so leave me alone. The musicianship was so good and his singing and style. How does he do that? How could he go from singing a Celtic song about deaths and paying this ferryman to take him home, and then the next song he screams out “Gloria.” It’s hot, dirty rock and roll.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Mary Bridget: Anywhere on the West End. But more realistically, the Beacon Theatre in New York City.

PC: A must-have on the road?
Mary Bridget: Electrolyte water, specifically Essentia.

To keep up with Mary Bridget, follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Stream or pick up Stay With Me: The Reimagined Songs of Jerry Ragovoy today.

Photo Credit: Jenny Anderson