Meghan Cary

Based in New York, Meghan Cary is a singer/songwriter and acoustic guitarist whose earthy folk-rock and Americana have been influenced by Natalie Merchant and 10,000 Maniacs, as well as the Indigo Girls. But New York isn't Cary's hometown, and a career in the arts wasn't something she planned to pursue when she got out of high school. Born in Syracuse, NY, and raised in Hershey, PA, Cary entered Duke University as a pre-med student; the game plan was to study chemistry and mathematics and eventually become a doctor. But Cary's plans changed. After shifting her focus to acting, she earned a B.A. in theater from Duke before obtaining an M.F.A. in acting from Asolo Conservatory at Florida State University. Cary's interest in theater led to a move to New York, where she kept busy acting in plays and doing voiceovers for commercials. Although the Pennsylvania native was always interested in music, it wasn't until after she met guitarist Matthew Black that she seriously got into club gigs. Cary and Black met in 1993 in Cumberland, MD, where both of them were participating in a production of the musical Pump Boys and Dinettes. Cary joined Black's band as a singer, and after becoming romantically involved, they got engaged. But in 1995, tragedy stuck when Cary's fiancé — who suffered from manic depression and was in the process of changing medications — died of heart failure. Although devastated, Cary didn't give up music; if anything, she pursued it more aggressively as a way of honoring Black's memory. Cary (who continued to act and do voiceovers) launched her recording career in 1998, releasing her debut CD, New Shoes, on her own AngelBear label. That release was followed by 2001's Onion Dream, also on AngelBear.