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Saturday, August 3, 2013

Mary's Naturally - The Song



In Houston, if you ask anyone what was THE iconic gay bar in its history, and the answer would be Mary's Naturally. It closed in November 2009, after 39 years serving as a front-and-center force in gay visibility in the city. Located a block from the gay crossroads of Montrose and Westheimer, it was definitely in your face. And that was perhaps made more visible by the striking mural artwork, done by Scott Swoveland. I've a webpage displaying some of that art.


But this blog entry is to  highlight something kind of special, which very few gay bars anywhere can claim: its own song, as done by local entertainer.



And the song not only praises Mary's but in its almost six minutes it name checks about every other gay club in the area. I believe the song is from around 1988 and do not know if an actual record was pressed, but I'm glad to share a listen.



Mary's was much more than just a bar, it celebrated the community, and there are two Facebook pages dedicated to its memory. The first one listed is an effort to help coordinate efforts for a proposed memorial which would celebrate the human spirit of Houston's gay community during Mary's 40 year existence, 1970-2009.




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