Each note on every single song was arranged, played and/or directed by the incredibly talented Jerry Williams. I met Jerry in 2019 while in Las Vegas to see Donny and Marie Osmond, just before they finished their 11 year run of Vegas shows.  (Jerry was their music director for many decades.) Well, Jerry and I “hit it off" from the first time we met and I was thrilled that he would consider helping me. Thank you Jerry for making this SUCH a joy!  

~Mary Porter
 

"You have that rare art of truly storytelling in a way that captivates every syllable of every lyric. You have a beautiful voice and such an engaging stage presence. Congrats on all." 

~Jerry Williams

This debut Album, "I gotta be me" is a collection of some of Mary Porter's favorite songs. The oldest song was written in 1931. The newest in 1996...spanning 65 years.   Mary recorded these at age 62. 

"I Gotta Be Me"   

Mary was a young girl living and working on her family farm in eastern North Carolina when this song was written.  It has special meaning for Mary, as she says, "the lyrics of that song describe me to a tee".  Listen to the lyrics closely, and you will understand a little more about Mary Porter. 

"I Dreamed a Dream"  

This is one of Mary's daughter's favorite songs. It was also the song that got Mary back up on stage!  On one fateful night in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Mary sang at an open mic at Incanto Vallarta. There were some pretty famous people in the audience that night, including an Oscar winner that encouraged Mary to get back on the stage. Long story short, Tracy Parks, the owner of Incanto asked her to do a show there and with less than 4 weeks she opened her "Broadway and More!" show. That show introduced her to many audiences. As Mary says, it changed the course of her life! 

"September Morn"  

This song has a uniquely special meaning to Mary. When she was living on St John USVI, she waited anxiously for September to arrive...because she was having a special visitor to arrive on September 9th. Well, on September 6th a category 5 hurricane named "Irma" arrived and ravaged through the Caribbean....leaving devastation all around. Mary was physically living on St John during that horrific hurricane. She crawled out of debris with a flashlight held between her teeth and her laptop cover over her head for protection. She struggled to walk over broken telephone poles and parts of roofs thrown around like tinker toys......until she saw a light in a house with a generator and was invited in for protection.  To her on that horrific night, they were like angels, welcoming her in.  

"Always On My Mind"  

This is one of her "beau Joe's" favorite songs. When he first heard Mary sing an earlier recording of that song, he couldn't believe it was her. He bought a grand piano and had it delivered a few days later.  He calls it his "Willie Nelson" song...though she likes the story that it was written and first recorded by Elvis. 

"The Rose"  

This will always be a special song to many. Little did Mary know that it was one of the very first songs Amanda McBroom wrote......and a song that was initially put in the "reject" pile for the movie of the same name. It turns out that Amanda is a very good friend of Jerry Williams....Mary Porter's co-producer and arranger. It was Jerry's idea to have Mary add the harmony parts in one of the versus.  

"People"  

This one says so much to Mary...especially at this time! "People, who need people...ARE the luckiest people in the world". This was a favorite song in her Puerto Vallarta shows and Mary knew she had to include it.