This week’s Tango Alpha Lima podcast features special guest Mary Gauthier, a Grammy-nominated songwriter, who helps veterans heal through songs.
Mary Gauthier’s path to become a Grammy-nominated American folk singer-songwriter began at an open mic night at her restaurant.
“It was like a lightbulb got screwed in,” she says. “I want to do that. I just started writing and trying to get a song and wanted to get on that stage and play it. It became all-consuming for me. I wanted to become better at songwriting and learn how to communicate that way.”
Previously she had played the guitar but not written any songs of her own. Now her songs have been covered by performers including Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Kathy Mattea, Boy George, Jimmy Buffett, Bettye Lavette and many more. She has won awards from the Americana Music Association, International Folk Music Awards, the Independent Music Awards, the GLAMA Awards and others. Her songs have been placed in film and TV, including “Yellowstone” and “Nashville.”
Gauthier shares her story this week on the American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast where she talks about her addiction recovery, mental health journey and how she uses songwriting to help
veterans with PTSD.
“The beauty of recovery is you don’t have to deal with it, you just surrender,” she says.
She works with veterans on their healing through songwriting with SongwritingWith:Soldiers. “What I try to emphasize is that this can be of service to other people — a lifeline actually, which it often is.”
It’s been a learning journey for Gauthier, whose father served in Korea, but she admitted not having a good understanding of the military.
“My ignorance was not an asset in any way,” she recalls. “And I was not going to be able to do the job well. And I wanted to do the job well. What I learned within an hour was that doesn’t matter. What matters is the willingness to listen in the spirit of non-judgment and just bear witness and transcribe what I hear into a melody and a lyric.”
Also, co-hosts Stacy Pearsall, Adam Marr and Joe Worley:
• Update followers on using psychedelics for mental health.
• Chat about a massive cement pyramid in the middle of the Great Plains.
• Discuss “green burials” at veterans cemeteries.
You can also check out the nearly 300 Tango Alpha Lima podcasts available in both audio and video formats here. You can also download episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify other major podcast-hosting sites. The video version is available at the Legion’s YouTube channel.
- Podcast