mary youngblood

I am just a vessel between the Creator and this instrument. As a sculptor would tell you, clay has a spirit of its own and decides what it will become; so it is with the flute. These songs came from those who walked before me.

Native American Mary Youngblood, half Seminole and half Aleut, born June 24, 1958, in Seattle, Washington, is the first woman to professionally record the Native American Flute, and the first woman to win not one, but two awards. Grammy Award for “Best Native American Music Album”.

Mary began studying piano at age six, violin at eight, classical flute and guitar at ten. As an adult, when Mary received her first native wooden flute, she was led to seek mastery of this instrument so closely linked to her own heritage and traditionally played only by men.

Mary Youngblood revolutionized Native American flute playing. The first native flutist to achieve national acclaim. Youngblood's music is created to embrace atmospheric spirituality and allow for healing of mind and spirit.

Although an excellent musician, Youngblood was not introduced until her early 30s to the instrument she is known for playing. “It felt so natural.” she recalled.

I picked it up, played it and thought, 'This is cool.' I had no idea what I was zen . I had never heard Native American flute music before. The melodies came to me right away. It was like there was a magical connection between me and this instrument. He would tell me how to play it. That's a very native way of thinking about it too.

Mary's fifth album, "Dance with the Wind", won the 2007 Grammy Award for "Native American Music Album". In an interview after receiving her award, Mary told the media that “'Dance With the Wind' was created during the 2006 winter storms in Northern California.

On that occasion the storms brought extremely strong winds, where a good sized tall oak lost some branches and the maples took a beating. Having an incredible affinity for trees, Mary looked at them in her backyard and thought it would be difficult to be a tree at that moment. But as she watched them, she noticed how the trees were almost moving with a determined rhythm, with something that looked JOYFUL. Mary related her own personal storm times to the dancing trees and realized that she could be like them, learning to "Dancing with the Winds"

Now, years later, with five unique and talented albums under her belt, Mary has over 250 hand-carved Native American style flutes in her collection and uses a wide variety of them in each of her albums. Each of her flutes is masterfully crafted in different types of wood, zen a unique sound and texture to each song.

When Mary performs, one immediately senses the deep spirituality of the sacred Native American flute and its historical attribute of courtship. Her music is much more than a song… it is liquid poetry, a prayer.

Mary Youngblood gives herself little credit when she realizes the intense emotions people feel when listening to her music. “I am just a vessel between the Creator and this instrument. As a sculptor would tell you, clay has a spirit of its own and decides what it will become; so it is with the flute. These songs came from those who walked before me. 🇧🇷

Artist website: https://www.maryyoungblood.com/