by Richard Skelly » Wed Mar 21, 2018 10:14 pm
A casual Chilliwack fan might wonder if the woman described in 1971’s Lonesome Mary is the same one who shows up, seven years later, in Arms Of Mary. Short answer: No. That’s because Arms Of Mary wasn’t a Chilliwack original, just a sparkling cover version of a Sutherland Brothers & Quiver song.
And let’s face it, Lonesome Mary would’ve needed a personality transplant to have morphed into the warm and giving slightly older woman remembered in Arms Of Mary. Just check out some of the lyrics used by Chilliwack singer/guitarist Bill Henderson to describe Ms Lonesome. This Mary was “the most contrary hard to get along with person in the world.” Mary’s previous relationship or marriage foundered because “she made a desert of her home”.
With its memorable opening guitar riff and keening lead vocal, Lonesome Mary remains a staple in Chilliwack’s concert repertoire. Often, it’s the first song when Bill and the current band take the stage.