Maria Muldaur is an American folk and blues singer from Greenwich Village, New York, born in 1943. She is associated with blues, contemporary folk and folk, and works in a folk-blues tradition.

Early career

Muldaur performs in the early 1960s in Greenwich Village alongside Bob Dylan, John Sebastian, David Grisman and Stefan Grossman during the American folk music revival. In the later 1960s, her distinctive vocals appear on recordings by Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band.

Solo work

She begins a solo career in 1972 after the end of her marriage to fellow Jug Band member Geoff Muldaur, and keeps her married name professionally. Her first solo album, Maria Muldaur, comes out in 1973 and includes her best-known song, “Midnight at the Oasis”, which reaches number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 21 on the UK Singles Chart in 1974.

Later in 1974 she releases Waitress In A Donut Shop, which includes a new version of “I’m a Woman”, the Leiber and Stoller song first associated with Peggy Lee. The album title comes from a line in another track on the record, “Sweetheart”, written by Ken Burgan.

Later career and collaborations

Muldaur develops a relationship with the Grateful Dead and opens for some of their shows in the summer of 1974. With John Kahn, bassist of the Jerry Garcia Band, this leads to her becoming a backing vocalist in that group in the late 1970s.

As her voice deepens, blues becomes a larger part of her recordings. Her 2005 album Sweet Lovin' Ol' Soul is nominated for both a W.C. Handy Award and a Grammy in the Traditional Blues category. In 2011 she releases Steady Love.