Columbus Jazz Titan: Mary McClendon Still Sings Strong in Her 80s
Columbus, OH – For Mary McClendon, a lifelong love of music wasn’t cultivated in a studio, but blossomed at home and in the classrooms of a bygone era. Now in her 80s,the remarkably self-taught vocalist continues to grace stages across the Columbus area,captivating audiences with a lifetime of passion and a uniquely expressive style.Born in Portsmouth, Ohio, McClendon’s earliest musical influences came from her mother, a woman with a soaring soprano voice who filled their home with hymns and spirituals. “My mother was just one of those people who sang all the time,” McClendon recalls. This constant exposure, coupled with the rich musical landscape of televised musicals like Porgy and Bess, provided all the training she needed.
“I never had a vocal teacher,” she explains. “But of course, I’m from an era where we had music and art every school day, from elementary through high school.” That foundational education proved invaluable, nurturing a talent that would lie dormant for years while she focused on family and a career at Motorists Mutual Insurance Co., where she sang in the company choir.
Opportunities to perform publicly eventually arose. McCl
