Mary Lane COVID Relief Fundraiser

Let's Keep Mary Lane Singing, Not Living, The Blues  
 
From her youth in Clarendon, Arkansas to being inducted to the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame in 2017, Mary Lane has been making music and sharing her love of the blues for most of her 84 years. Before she reached her teen years, she was singing with Howlin' Wolf; as an adult woman raising eight kids on Chicago’s South Side, Mary sang with Junior Wells and Buddy Guy (pictured here at Mary's 83rd Birthday Bash). She helped pave the way for women blues singers to lead their own bands, as she now leads hers. Almost anyone who knows the Chicago Blues scene knows Mary Lane. But, beyond that -- she's Chicago's best kept secret, and if you’re a secret, you don’t always get the recognition, or the pay, you deserve.
 
Between the pandemic and mounting health challenges she and her husband (bassit Jeffery Labon) face, Mary has fallen on hard times. She can’t sell her CDs or T-Shirts, can’t collect the gig bucks that kept her and Jeff afloat. And since she is no longer able to supplement her social security, Mary is constantly at risk of eviction.
 
When we launched this fundraiser in April, our goal was to raise $3,500 to pay Mary and Jeff’s rent September through December and utilities for the July that were behind. With the love and support from many of Mary’s fans, we’ve got the rent covered through December and paid up the telephone and electric bills that were due in July. Mary now has a little peace as she and Jeff know they have a roof over their head while they sort out how an 84-year old blues singer and her disabled husband make money when both are at high-risk and can’t go out and make music.
 
We’ve raised the goal to $15,000 to ask for more help. All additional funds will be administered to help her make money (she needs to purchase a small quantity of her CDs to sell locally) and to continue paying her rent into 2021 while they sort it all out. Until there is a vaccine, or until the pandemic eases, Mary and Jeff can’t go back to work. This additional help will allow her to know she has a roof over her head and a chance to catch her breath.
 
We know that everyone is out raising money to help all the folks that have been affected by this horrific pandemic.  But we ask you to dig deep, if you can, to give a dollar, five -- whatever you can spare to help us help Mary pay her rent and electric bill into next year.
 
To help give back for your generosity, we've got a few incentives to help “sweeten” the love you give to Mary and Jeff in the form of your donation.   UPDATE: We finally have the new release of "the Real Mary Lane" so we'll be sharing those files with our donors who qualify via email by the end of August. Thank you for your patience and generosity. 


For a $50 donation, you’ll receive a digital download of Mary's CD, The Real
Mary Lane.                                     
 
For a $100 donation, you’ll receive a digital download of The Real Mary Lane
and Copy of Michael Bloom and the Blues Prophecy’s CD, featuring Mary
Lane                                      
 
For a $1000 donation, you’ll receive a private virtual concert, via Zoom,
hosted live by Mary Lane which includes a pre-recorded performance for you
with Mary and her No Static Blues Band. 
 
We're all in this together -- let's band together to help this blues diva gain a
little peace during the coming months
 
Much love and thanks -- Lisa and Michael Bloom