The Monday Music Mambo Dance Instructor, rfduck, hits us with his jive: “Hi mamboers! I'm back with another Monday Music Mambo for your enjoyment.

“I'm writing this on Sunday, and it's my birthday today! So I thought I'd make the Mambo birthday related today.

“Your assignment is to: Find a musician who was born on your birthday (or on the day before or after your birthday, if you don't like the people born on your day) and give me a list of three or four songs by that artist. You can do this for as many musicians as you want.”

This week my selection is one of my favorite vocalists from my jug band days, Maria Muldaur.

Monday Music Mambo - Week 96

Here's what her Wikipedia entry has to say:

Maria Muldaur (Born Maria Garzia Rosa Domenica D'Amato, on September 12, 1943, in Greenwich Village, New York) is a roots-folk singer best known for her song "Midnight at the Oasis".

She performed in the early 1960s in Greenwich Village with Bob Dylan, John Sebastian, David Grisman, and Stefan Grossman. Later in the 1960s her distinctive vocals were heard in many of the tracks recorded by Jim Kweskin and the Jug Band.

She was married to singer Geoff Muldaur.

At present time (2006) Maria is very well known in the field of blues.”

From her own web site, www.mariamuldaur.com, we have the following biographical information:

“Muldaur's artistry expresses a profound love for American music in all its forms and her unique interpretations of pop, blues, jazz and folk music have earned her the respect of both critics and fans. In her early years, Muldaur was best known for her smash pop hit, "Midnight At The Oasis," from her first solo album which went Platinum, securing her a place in the hearts and minds of baby boomers the world over.

“Raised in Greenwich Village amid New York's rich cultural diversity, Muldaur traveled to North Carolina, while still in her teens, to study the fiddle with well-known traditional artist Doc Watson. In high school she formed an all-girl rock ‘n' roll band called "The Cashmeres." At twenty-one, she began her professional musical career joining John Sebastian (later of "The Lovin' Spoonful") to form the "Even Dozen Band." Later, as vocalist-violinist, she toured and performed for five years with the "Jim Kweskin Jug Band," recording five albums with the group.

“In 1973, Muldaur released her first solo album, Maria Muldaur, which rocketed up the charts with the hit "Midnight At The Oasis." More albums followed including, Waitress In A Donut Shop, Sweet Harmony, Southern Winds and Open Your Eyes, all showcasing Muldaur's unique and unmistakable blend of jazz, pop, blues and folk styles.”

Besides her platinum hit, "Midnight at the Oasis," Maria captured my heart, mind and soul in a Greenwich Village club in 1963 with her cover of "Battle Hymn of the Republic." Her tribute to New Orleans, "Louisiana Love Call" appeared years before it became the anthem for a generation of refugees. Her sexy, naughty side came out as far back as her debut album in 1963 with the Even Dozen Jug Band's rendition of "Come On In" (that's Maria with the guitar and great legs up there).

There you have her ... my choice for a Mambo partner on this gray, dreary, very wet, last Monday in April, 2006.

And a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! to the mememeister, rfduck!