Gail Swanson Salutes Rebel Mom In New Single “My Mama Marched”

(headline image: Gail Swanson – Photo by Bruce Forrester)

Maui, Hawaii-based singer-songwriter Gail Swanson has released a new single, “My Mama Marched,” a tribute to her mother’s rebellious spirit. The track was produced by musician and multidisciplinary artist Micah Nelson (Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts, Particle Kid) and is accompanied by an official music video featuring cameo appearances from Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson.

“I’ve always wanted to write a song about my mom and have had lots of ideas over the years but none of them ever felt good enough to represent the most important person in my life,” says Gail Swanson. “I grew up in the Chicago area where my mom, Myra Ducharme, was a folk-singing social worker, activist, and feminist. She raised us on her own for years, working as a waitress while going to school for her Master of Social Work during the day. On the weekends she would take my sister and I to the marches and rallies when Martin Luther King Jr. was leading the civil rights movement. We were so young, my grandma was always very nervous about us getting hurt, but my mom really wanted to engrain into our souls how important it was to be there and take a stand.

“My mom was a real badass. Over the years, she helped abused women escape from life- and-death situations and fought hard for the ERA, equal housing and civil rights. My mom was the most supportive person to me in my life and this song is the perfect way to honor her.”

The official music video accompanying “My Mama Marched” was made by filmmakers Todd Soliday and Leah Warshawski (of the award-winning production company, Inflatable Film), with ingenious animation by Micah Nelson and the inestimable support of Swanson’s close friend, Annie Nelson.

“I’m lucky to be friends with Todd Soliday and Leah Warshawski and I ran the idea of a video by them,” Swanson says. “We talked about the whole experience of protesting against the insane situation we are all in right now. They immediately got excited and fired off all kinds of creative ideas, they were in! My good friend Annie Nelson was one of my most pivotal and passionate collaborators on this project. We made signs at her house, took a pic of Willie for a cameo – Annie even made the actual “My Mama Marched” sign that we are using for the cover shot. It took a village to bring the song and video to life and I feel like it’s the most important and meaningful thing I’ve done in my musical career and in my life.”

Swanson has earned critical praise and a devoted following for her heartfelt indie folk songwriting, drawing support from prominent musicians and industry insiders. Her career led her to Maui more than four decades ago, where she built an active live presence as both a headliner and supporting act for artists including Willie Nelson, the Doobie Brothers, Melissa Etheridge, Lisa Loeb, Leon Russell, David Crosby, and Jon Anderson.

Her early acclaim grew from distinctive covers of classic rock staples such as Jethro Tull’s “Locomotive Breath” and the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil,” which secured prominent television placements. Audience interest in those arrangements pushed Swanson toward a deeper emphasis on original material across a growing catalog.

A career milestone arrived with Living In A Movie in 2002. Recorded in Maui and Nashville with a full band, the album won the Hawaiian Academy of Recording Artists’ Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for Best Rock Album and featured “Half A Heart,” a duet with Willie Nelson. She followed in 2009 with Simple Truth, featuring another duet with Nelson (“The One That Got Away”) along with contributions from Hutch Hutchinson and the Doobie Brothers’ Michael McDonald, John Mc Fee, and Pat Simmons, who produced several tracks and added his guitar work.

Swanson has also maintained a visible activist presence, appearing at community benefits and marches tied to causes she supports.

“I just want to spread the word to people about how important it is right now to stand up and march and resist the things that are unacceptable,” says Gail Swanson. “To exercise our constitutional rights while we still have a constitution. Everything is so upside down right now, and the only thing that makes sense is to stand up and speak out.”