Mary Chapin was born at Stanford University Hospital in California and raised in nearby East Palo Alto at a time when it was the murder capital of America. A life of hard knocks was to be her fate.
By the time Mary was 16, she had dropped out of school, was pregnant, and was dealing hard drugs for a street gang. Over the next several years, one family member after another wound up in the morgue, as did most of her childhood friends.
One desperate day, she stumbled into a small church in a back alley and found salvation. Not long after, she found her voice and began singing in the choir. She was ordained as a minister early on, and the following 20 years of her life were a whirlwind as she became a much sought-after singer/preacher across the country.
She retired and settled down with James Finlay (Hurricane James Blues Project), and they have three children together.