About Marion & Her Music
Marion Halliday - Photo by Lou Tingle
MARION HALLIDAY is a recovering lawyer, native Kentuckian, and now songstress and troubadour splitting her time between Philadelphia, PA and Louisville, Kentucky. She has been a singer her entire life, initially as a classical chorale ensemble and madrigals performer; then for several years she was lead singer of the regionally acclaimed trad Irish band, My Darling Asleep (cdbaby.com "My Darling Asleep"). After establishing a home in Philadelphia, Marion co-founded a Celtic band, The Molly Blooms (with Lisa Timmons, Rosie McNamara-Jones, and Donna Bostock).
In 2016, Marion formed Trickster Sister with her sister in Louisville, KY, and another musician in Philadelphia, to feature her original music, which she began writing in 2015 for her Irish band. In 2018, Marion was named "One of the Ones to Watch" by the Nashville Songwriters' Association International; that year, too, she was chosen by Ron Olesko of WFDU FM Radio to perform at the highly-regarded NERFA (Northeast Regional Folk Alliance) Suzi Wollenberg Folk DJ Showcase; and she was finalist in the 2018 Best of Philly Live Performance competition, securing the runner-up slot in the Folk/Country Category. In July 2019, Marion's debut solo album Rings Around Saturn music landed at #3 on the Folk Radio DJ charts as well as garnered Marion the #3 artist slot. In November of 2019, Marion appeared in the juried Semi-Formal Showcase at Northeast Regional Folk Alliance in Stamford Connecticut. Marion's EPK as well as press photos can be found HERE.
Marion has great breadth as a songwriter. She has found inspiration, for example, in the history of her new home-town in Philly, writing a range of songs that touch on city's rich and varied past. This includes songs about an escaped convict from Eastern State Pen, the forlorn beauty of Laurel Hill Cemetery, the statue to the Lenape in Wissahickon Park, and the revolutionary war memorial at Washington Square, among others. Through her "Philly Songs Project," Marion is available for special programs in schools and organizations around Philly that might wish to have her share with audiences interesting and historical tales through the medium of her beautiful, Philly-oriented original music. Click HERE for more information about the Philly Songs Project.
Marion has also written songs on more universal, contemporary topics such as domestic abuse, gun violence, suicide, and the scourge of heroin and meth addiction ravaging our country. Lastly, Marion’s music also includes amusing reflections on the challenges of relationships, as well as an abiding love of bourbon. To see the lyrics for Marion's recorded/released music, and a bit more about what inspired each song, click HERE.
The Bands - Trickster Sister & The Weeping Pints
In 2017, Marion formed her Philly-based band Trickster Sisterwith Sister Jane Halliday on violin, banjo uke and backing vocals, and Donna Bostock on bass, percussion, and backing vocals. The band features her original music and other bourbon and bluegrass inspired songs. In Spring of 2021, Marion formed a new, Kentucky-based trio with Sister Jane and guitar master Chris Fargen called The Weeping Pints that features pub-inspired music of the British Isles as well as Marion's originals. For more information about Jane, Donna and Chris CLICK HERE.