Kathy Mar

Kathy Mar (/ˈmɑːr/; from Chinese Ma by analogy with non-rhotic accents) worked as a professional folksinger and street performer in Denver, Colorado for many years before she discovered filk. Her first recordings were for Off Centaur Publications (Songbird, On a Bright Wind, Bamboo Wind) and she went on to do two albums with Thor Records (Plus Ça Change, Plus C'est La Même Chose) which have recently been re-released as a CD double. She also did an album for Dandelion Digital (Made by Magic) with British songwriter Zander Nyrond which was one of the first filk CDs ever produced. Her cover album of her favorite filk and folk songs on Prometheus (My Favorite Sings) has been her most successful to date. She was inducted into the Filk Hall of Fame in only the second year of its existence.^[1] With Lindy Sears, she instigated the "Dandelion Conspiracy" to promote filk to general SF conventions.

She was Filk Guest of Honor at Denvention 3, the 66th World Science Fiction Convention.

Kathy lives in San Leandro, CA in a commune and is the mother of Michael (1970–1982), Melanie (1972) and twins Nicolas and Cassandra (1985). Her primary life partner Dean Dierschow (familiar as her most devoted roadie) lives there with her in what she refers to as "a wonderful ongoing courtship." She was very involved in the antiwar movement in the sixties and sang in Kansas City for the first Moratorium. She has appeared as filk GOH at almost every filk convention and many regular SF conventions as well.

Pegasus Awards

• 1989 — Best Filk Song - Arafel's Song (Tree of Swords & Jewels) (With Mercedes Lackey)
• 1989 — Best Writer/Composer
• 1991 — Best Love Song - Velveteen
• 1993 — Best Writer/Composer
• 1994 — Best Filk Song - Drink Up the River
• 1996 — Best Filk Song - When Giants Walked
• 2004 — Best Writer/Composer

Albums

• Songbird — Off Centaur (cassette OCP-24) 1982
• On a Bright Wind — Off Centaur (cassette OCP-36) 1984
• Bamboo Wind — Off Centaur (cassette OCP-54) 1985
• Plus Ca Change — Thor Records (cassette FK1003) 1988
• Plus C'est La Même Chose — Thor Records (cassette FK1006) 1990
• Made By Magic — with Zander Nyrond, Dandelion Digital CD DD-005CD, 1994
• My Favorite Sings — Prometheus Music CD PM-1000, 1999
• Plus Ca Change / Plus C'est La Même Chose — DragonsGate Music CD 2000
• Kathy Mar - Live — Love Song Productions CD/DVD LSP2004 2009

External links

• Official site
• last.fm page with Kathy's music available for free streaming
• Official Pegasus Award site listing Kathy Mar's awards

References