Midnight At The Oasis – Maria Muldaur | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#6) & Adult Contemporary (#7); 1974
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
As a young girl growing up in Greenwich Village, Maria D’Amato was smack dab in the middle of an exciting music scene. After high school, she set her sights on a performing career.
A concert by Doc Watson so inspired her that she visited him in North Carolina, where she learned traditional songs and the finer points of Appalachian fiddling.
Back in New York, she joined the Even Dozen Jug Band in 1963, then the Jim Kweskin Jug Band and husband-to-be Geoff Muldaur. The Muldaurs recorded several albums with Kweskin, then two of their own, before breaking up.
Maria was now ready for a solo career, and she signed with Reprise Records in 1973. Her self-titled debut appeared the next year, featuring a cast of well-known musicians that included Dr. John, Ry Cooder, Klaus Voormann, and Spooner Oldham.
Guitarist Amos Garrett provided a sensual jazz-styled backdrop for his standout song, Midnight At The Oasis, which grabbed Grammy nominations for Record and Song of the Year.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- David Nichtern
Lyrics Written by:
- Lenny Waronker
- Joe Boyd
Awards:
- “Midnight At The Oasis” was also nominated for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 17th Annual Grammy Awards, held in 1975
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).