Celebrating Mary Gauthier

Photo by Alexa King Stone

Released independently on September 13, 1999, Mary Gauthier’s “Drag Queens in Limousines” introduced the world to a singular songwriter whose character-driven narratives centered on outsiders, those not considered the “normal” members of society.

Like many of her musical heroes, including John Prine, Lucinda Williams, and Tom Waits, Gauthier used thoughtful lyrics and an unvarnished voice to illuminate the humanity within her characters, reminding listeners of our shared connection. The album offered a powerful preview of what was still to come.

THE BEGINNING

After spending much of her early life immersed in chaos, a period later chronicled in her acclaimed 2021 book, “Saved By a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting,” the Louisiana native relocated to Boston in 1984 to escape the drugs and nightlife surrounding her. There, she opened one of the city’s first Cajun restaurants. In 1990, at age 27, she got sober. At 35, after years of performing covers at local open mics, she wrote her first song. When the material that would become “Drag Queens in Limousines” finally came together, Gauthier financed the recording and manufacturing with restaurant earnings, spending late nights after her shifts stuffing CDs to mail to radio stations.

That perseverance paid off. Gauthier rose from open mics to the main stage of the Newport Folk Festival, and the album earned multiple honors, including Best Country Artist at the GLAMA Awards (Gay and Lesbian American Music Awards), Crossroads’ Silver Star Award, and Independent Artist of the Year.

Looking back, Gauthier recalls, “At this point, I was thirty-nine, twelve years sober, and still running restaurants in Boston. The success of this record helped me decide to leave the restaurant business, move to Nashville, and start over. It was terrifying to imagine myself walking away from my successful businesses to pursue music full time (because, honestly, who in their right mind STARTS a career in music at age 40?). My hope was that I might be able to do it for real, that is, become a full time, professional songwriter. In my heart of hearts I knew I had to try. I had to dedicate my life to it in order to succeed.”

“I got sober in 1990 at age twenty-seven. A few years later, I started writing songs. I fell in love with the challenge, mystery and power of songwriting. The satisfaction of watching my music connect, and the privilege of having other songwriters embrace me as a peer was a new feeling to me, and the only word that describes it perfectly is joy. Songwriting gave me purpose and helped me stay sober. I worked on my songs every day, played them at open mics at night, learned, and grew. A few years into the process, I hired producer Crit Harmon to help me. We soon released a demo named after my Louisianastyle restaurant, then quickly got to work on what would become my debut album, which became our Hail Mary project, a fullscale attempt to make a name for ourselves in the music world. When we reached the finish line, I decided to call the record “Drag Queens in Limousines.” I went to a local drag club in Boston, Jacques, to shoot the cover. I hired my first publicist and picked a release date of September 13, 1999.”

Gauthier continued, “What was it that drew people to Drag Queens in Limousines? Was it the way in which it celebrated people whose lives are lived outside of anything resembling normal? Did it tap into the outsider in everyone? In retrospect, I believe these were the songs that helped me find my writer’s voice. My characters, like me, were on the edge, but they were also on the verge. People cracked, crumbled, and burned as they tried to deal with the everyday dramas of love vs. lovelessness, community vs. loneliness, and despair vs. faith. I was learning about sobriety, humility, and about how a brutal crack in the ego could become a lifesaving gift. Many of these songs remain on my set list today.”

DRAG QUEENS IN LIMOUSINES

“The title track, a coming-of-age countryflavored outsiders’ anthem, connected me to people all over the word. The idea for it came after a failed gig in NYC, a gig that ended before it began because nobody came. To try and cheer me up, my friends took me out to the Midtown Diner, outside Times Square. As we walked in, I noticed that the parking lot was filled with limos, shiny black cars that horseshoed around both sides of the building. We made our way in and got our menus. As I sat there brooding, a door swung open and two drag queens in full female makeup, high heels, sparkly dresses and big, big hair strutted in talking loudly and laughing in that loud drag-queen lookat-me-kind-of-way. They ordered coffees togo, then, poof, they were gone. All that was left when the door swung shut was the sweet smell of their perfume. I looked at my friends in amazement. They smiled and nodded, “We love it here. Isn’t it great, Drag Queens and Limousines!” BINGO! They had just handed me the title of a song that would become the name of this record; a record that would change my life.”

Gauthier finished with this, “Turns out, there is an outsider in everyone, an observer who sometimes feels excluded, different. If everyone feels that way, then the truth of the matter is that this is where we are not different, it is where we are, of all things, the same. One human family, one giant mass of people looking for where we belong. Ain’t that something? Drag Queens in Limousines, indeed.”

Watch Mary Gauthier perform live with special guest Jaimee Harris on January 30, 2026 at Gram Parsons Derry Down in Winter Haven. The doors open at 6 p.m., Jaimee Harris begins at 7 p.m., and Mary Gauthier takes the stage at 7:45 p.m. Purchase tickets at gpderrydown.com.

MARY GAUTHIER WITH JAIMEE HARRIS

January 30, 2026, 6 p.m.

Gram Parsons Derry Down

297 5th St NW, Winter Haven

gpderrydown.com