Background
McNally was born in Hempstead, on Long Island.
musician singer songwriter singer-songwriter
McNally was born in Hempstead, on Long Island.
She went to Bethpage John F Kennedy Junior High School. While studying anthropology at Franklin and Marshall College, she began singing and playing guitar in clubs. After graduating and honing her skills on the streets of Paris as a busker, McNally secured a deal with Capitol Records in 1997.
McNally was intent on making an acoustic record and entered the studio with studio professionals including Jim Keltner, Benmont Tench, and Greg Leisz.
The resulting album Jukebox Sparrows was not released at the time. In the interim, McNally opened for Stevie Nicks and Ryan Adams, and was part of the 1999 Girl"s Room tour with Tara MacLean, Kendall Payne, and Amy Correia.
She also modeled for Urban Decay cosmetics. In 2000, McNally issued the holdover European Parliament Bolder Than Paradise.
When Capitol finally issued Jukebox Sparrows in January 2002, it did so into a market that had already embraced such roots-flavored material as Ryan Adams and the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack.
McNally embarked on a press tour, and spent the summer of that year supporting John Mellencamp. In late 2002, she released the Ran on Pure Lightning European Parliament, a collaboration with songwriter Neal Casal. In 2005, McNally returned with the country, blues, and soul influences on the album Geronimo.
The album"s June release was accompanied by a summer"s worth of live dates.
Early 2006 saw the release of McNally"s third album, North American Ghost Music. Tour dates with Son Volt also coincided its release.
She has resumed performing and recording and toured with Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women. In 2009 she released the album Coldwater with her band Hot Sauce.
McNally currently resides near Oxford, Mississippi.
In 2013, McNally released Small Town Talk, a tribute album to the songs of Bobby Charles. Call of Juarez as Suzy (2006).